The Elf Thief
by Tiger McQueen
Summary: After paying for his crimes, Loki has earned back Thor's trust if not the other Avengers. And though the God of Lies believes that he has reformed, he takes a dangerous path toward revenge—and his enemy's daughter must pay the price for his convictions before he realizes how much he has yet to learn. Loki/OFC, Thor, warriors of Asgard, Tony S., Bruce B., Cap, and other superheroes.
1. Prologue--The gods will not come for you

A/N—I did not see _The Avengers_ until November, after it was out on DVD. I have no idea why I wasn't interested in the movie before (I mean, I loved _Iron Man_), but did not see it in the theater. Upon first viewing, I promptly _fell_ _in love_ with it and all of the Avengers and most especially Loki. I immediately went in search of fanfic and found many here that inspired me want to start writing, and then this plot jumped into my head, so I finally _did _start writing.

This fic is most assuredly M (for violence early on and 'adult' themes later). Many Avengers and warriors from the _Thor _appear throughout the fic, and I've speculated on how future events might unfold to layout what I hope is a believable framework for what lies in store for Loki and others, and how he becomes almost but-not-quite-yet-fully reformed.

While I have not used any real 'spoilers' for future movies in here, certain players from the second _Thor _movie that have been mentioned in the media are mentioned in this fic...if you are avoiding any kind of movie spoilers whatsoever for _Thor: The Dark World_, as much as it pains me to say it, don't read my fic! They're minor, but they are there, and, as I said, there's speculation for future events that *might* turn out to be true. Really, if you don't want to be spoiled, don't read.

The prologue is very O/C-heavy, but is necessary (I hope) to establish tone and important character motivations, etc.

I hope those of you who read it like it! I'm so nervous, lol.

Thanks to guineamania for being my beta.

* * *

**Prologue—The gods will not come for you.**

When she was a child, Asrior prayed to the gods. She didn't make altars, as her mother had said the Midgardians built in their ancient times. Such a tangible display risked discovery, and she had learned well that anything material, even something as small as a tear, could mean pain.

So she'd kept the altars in the hidden corners of her mind, dropping to her knees only when the night was deep and sleep took over the fortress. She would kneel on the hard and cold stone floor, her mouth moving silently as she begged the lords of Asgard to help her. Odin would send Thor, and he would fly toward her on his white horse, wielding Mjolner against her father. The Warriors Three would follow, their battles cries ringing as they fought her father's guards. And Sif… Her sister would ride ahead with the God of Thunder, her sword flashing as she made her way toward her, finding her and carrying her to safety.

They did not hear her prayers.

Asrior had not looked to them at first, not even when her mother died. She'd been barely a babe then. When the men came to take her to Svartalfheim where her father, Valtur, lived, she had childishly welcomed the chance to go to another realm. Surely he would love her as her mother had.

She was not afraid despite the rough journey through the portal, when she left the lush green hills for a dark and barren land with just the clothing on her back and a thin golden chain of her mother's. Nor was she afraid when she was borne away in an unfamiliar metal carriage, or when she first entered the dark hall and looked upon her her father's scarred, alien appearance and heavy armor for the first time.

She wasn't afraid when he reached out to her, his pale-as-death hand rough against her chin as he lifted her gaze to his. The eyes that met hers were dark in the torchlight, but she'd smiled, her lips shaking slightly as she whispered, "Father". The corners of his mouth lifted and the fingers on her skin hardened as he laughed. She heard the others in the hall join in, the sound echoing around her.

Asrior suddenly wanted to hide. She wanted her mother and the familiar comfort of their tiny home in Asgard. Then she felt ashamed for feeling such. Her mother had always told her to be brave.

"You look like her," he said, his eyes sweeping over her hair, the dark red of it radiant despite the dimness of the hall. Asrior kept her eyes on him, refusing to look away even as her body trembled.

"You even have your mother's eyes," her father mused, and the fingers holding her chin loosened and moved to trail along her cheek. "Your skin is like hers. Smooth. Touched by the sun. It is as though Birgitta still lives."

The hand dropped.

"Let us hope you did not inherit her whoring ways."

The laughter echoed around her again, and though she did not grasp the full extent of her father's words, Asrior understood he was not being kind.

He was leaning forward in the massive chair, an elbow on his knee, and his face moved so close that she could feel his breath.

"But you are not exactly like her, are you, Asrior of Asgard? You were not like the others you hid amongst," he hissed his eyes beginning to gleam. The corner of his mouth lifted again when she shook her head and whispered, "No. I am different."

"Kagoq."

The words were a demand, and Valtur's eyes moved to someone behind her. And then Asrior felt hands on her hair, pulling it tightly away from her head. Tears pricked her eyelids as the hand tugged and yanked so that she was forced to look the side, allowing her father to view one of her elven-shaped ears.

"You will not hide proof of your heritage anymore, child. You are of the House of Valtur," he said, his voice strong and hard. "You are a child of Svartalfheim. You are a being of _this_ realm, a descendant of royalty, and you will quit everything of Asgard or die in the keeping of it. Do you understand, daughter?"

The last word dripped from his mouth like venom.

Asrior nodded after a moment, and the hand loosened its grip on her hair slightly.

"Good. Let us hope you are so able a student in the years to come." Valtur sat back on the massive chair and lifted a hand. "Taker her, Kagoq."

A rough voice behind her gritted, "Come with me."

And so she heard Kagoq before she saw him, the dark, brooding dwarf who was to be her guard.

She turned her head to look at the one who gripped the length of her hair so harshly, and Asrior shivered, for he frightened her in a way her father had not. Kagoq was massive and squat all at once, his wide body stooped low, a shoulder held at an awkward angle. Whereas her father's scars ran thinly over a strong-boned face, Kajoq's features were flat, half dented and mangled, a scab puckering over the space where his right eye should have been.

He spoke under his breath as he led her to the small chamber that was to be hers, muttering about the uselessness of Asgardian bastard filth, his hand holding her hair as a leash, his one eye trained steadily ahead.

Still, she had not prayed. Not yet. Not when the servants had taken her Asgardian robes and burned them. Not when she'd been forced to wear the dark clothes of Svartalfheim, the black armor heavy and unfamiliar against her skin. Not through that first, long month in the fortress with none but Kagoq and his beaten face and bad-tempered words for company.

Not until the night she'd woken from a dream of her mother.

In the dream, she'd been back in Asgard, in their cottage set among hills. Flowers bloomed outside of her window, and Asrior could hear her mother's sweet voice in the kitchen, calling her to come try the bread she'd taken from the oven. She'd wandered through the house, following the sound and the smells…only the house was suddenly made of stone instead of wood, and the halls were long and dark. When she finally reached the kitchen, the person in there turned and stared. Instead of her mother's deep blue gaze and soft voice, it was Kagoq's eye and growl that greeted her.

"I take care of you now, you little wretch. Take care to remember it."

Asrior woke, remembering where she was, her heart aching for home so much that her need overran her fears. So she slipped silently out of her small bed and tread across the floor, her heart racing in fright as she pushed open her door. Kagoq was there as always, sleeping on a mat on outside of her room, his eye shuttered to her movements for now. She crept quickly past him, holding her breath as she did so.

And then she was free to search for her father, though the halls seemed dark and endless. She'd seen little of him since her arrival at his fortress. But she was sure, despite so little contact, that he could offer comfort as only a parent could.

She found him in the great hall. Instead of sitting at the head of it on the massive stone chair, he'd been alone and huddled over a table, studying something lit with a small candle. Asrior had touched his arm, her voice shaking as she greeted him.

Valtur turned quickly and looked down at her, his eyes glittering in surprise. Before he could speak, Asrior found herself talking, the words tumbling from her in a rush. She told him she was scared, that Kagoq was mean to her, and she thought that seeing him would make her feel better. And then she begged him to tell her if the stories of Valhalla were true. Her mother was of Asgard, she'd said, clutching at his arm, so surely that meant she could see her again in the land of the honored fallen.

Tears pooled in her eyes, blurring her father's image, and then footsteps came running into the great hall, Kagoq's frantic apologies echoing in the nearly empty space.

"Silence yourself," Valtur snapped. The dwarf stopped in his tracks so suddenly that he almost tipped over. Asrior's mouth clamped shut, quivering as she tried to stifle the sobs erupting in her throat.

She noticed that her hand was no longer on her father's arm. Instead, he had taken hold of her wrist, his rough fingers digging into her skin and his voice was silky as he asked, "You cry for your dead Asgardian mother?"

"Yes," Asrior said, her voice shaking, a tear escaping as she spoke. She rubbed it away with her free hand, sniffing loudly. "I miss her, Father. I want to see her again."

A thin smile spread across Valtur's face.

"My lord, please forgive me. Allow me to take her back to her chamber. I'll make sure…"

Valtur raised a hand to silence the dwarf, and his voice was still smooth and quiet, that slit of a smile widening as he spoke. "You think I am angry because she left her chambers without permission?"

Kagoq lowered his eye and stared at his feet.

"No. No, that is not what grieves me now." Valtur purred. He regarded his daughter for a moment, his eyes roaming over her pale face and blood-red hair. Then he pulled her roughly toward him so that Asrior stumbled, her ribs hitting hard against the table. She watched, confused, as he pushed the sleeve of her nightdress away from her wrist. "I am angry because her weakness is an insult to my house. My daughter will not be so pathetic that she _cries_."

He began muttering something, and Asrior saw the candle he'd been using flare, its flame suddenly bright purple, and his fingers tightened harder on her wrist. And then there was pain, white-hot pain searing across the skin he pulled roughly above the flame. Her knees buckled and she felt a cry rising in her throat. It was as though knife made of fire were slicing deep into her arm to burn the muscle and bone within. She could smell burning flesh, could see it turning black…

Just when her eyes rolled back into her head, just when she was about to faint, she was released and somehow pulled away from the flame.

"If you insist on weeping, it must be for good cause," Valtur said, steel in his voice now. "You will not wail for the harlot that bore you."

Shock had taken over. Asrior's entire body was shaking and her breath came in gasps. Her arm felt as though the skin had fallen off, and if Kagoq had not been holding her by the shoulders, she felt sure she herself would have fallen to the floor.

"Do not let her get by you again," Valture warned. "Beat her, if that is what it takes to make her submit. If you cannot control her, you will be the one to suffer the consequences next time."

"Yes, sire. It will not happen again." Kagoq's head lowered and his voice dripped with deference. And then he yanked Asrior by the hair, pulling hard as he snarled at her to follow.

Cradling her wrist with her good hand, Asrior stumbled behind him, led by her hair from the great hall as though an animal. The pain was still blinding, so much that she had to fight not to scream with the hurt. Her eyes closed as Kagoq pulled her along, and her gasps turned to whimpers; she remembered the tales her mother had told her of the gods' courage in battle, and she tried to whisper, "Be brave. Be brave. Be brave…"

She did not notice when Kagoq led her down an unfamiliar hallway, or when he paused for a minute, or that the grip on her hair loosened. She kept her thoughts on her mother, for remembering somehow helped her endure.

And then they were heading up stairs to the room that was hers, and through her door, and she was allowed to fall onto her small bed. Asrior shrank into it, turning her face into the mattress to muffle her moans.

"Give me your wrist, child." She shrank further into the bed at the rough voice. Her tears were falling freely now as she gave into the pain and distress. Kagoq sighed and muttered, "Here."

He was pulling her arm toward him, his hand surprisingly gentle, though his grip strong enough to hold onto her when she tried to pull away.

"No…" she managed, terrified, her heart pounding in her chest, but the dwarf did not release her. The room was dark, the small window offering little in the way of moonlight, and shadows masked Kagoq's ruined face as she looked at him. Then she felt something cool and wet on her burning skin.

"This will not heal you, but it will ease the pain," he was saying, his voice so low she barely heard him above her harsh breathing. "It will not prevent the scar, either. That was dark magic he used, and your skin will bear the mark forever."

The burning in her wrist turned into swiftly into a sting, and then to a dull ache.

Asrior's eyes widened as she stared up at the dark outline of his face.

"Is that magic, too?" she asked, her voice still thick with her weeping.

Kagoq did not answer at first. He released her and put something in his coat, turning away from her. When he finally spoke, it was as though he was reciting a lesson.

"You must learn not to cry or show any weakness, especially in front of Valtur. You must pretend to be of Svartalfheim, learn to act as a dark elf of your father's kind. And you must listen to me when I tell you to do something. This is for your protection. Do you understand, Asrior?"

The sound of her name on his lips was startling.

"Yes," she managed.

"Good." He sighed and opened the door to her room, leaving briefly and returning with his mat. "Tell me if the wound begins to sting again, and I will put more of the salve on it."

Her eyes were adjusting to the darkness, and she watched as he threw his mat against the door and slowly lowered himself to it. She sniffed and rubbed at her face with her good hand, daring to ask, "How long will it hurt?"

"Sometimes it does not go away," he mumbled, and turned to look at her for a moment. "Yours is not too bad a wound. You were but moments above the flame. It will ease soon enough." His eye closed. "Go to sleep."

"What if I have another dream…"

He sighed, and though he looked reluctant to say it, finally told her, "Wake me if you have dreams. But you must not leave."

Asrior nodded, gazing at him as he fell into sleep. After a while, her tears drying, she pulled the blanket over her body and turned in her bed. The ache in her wrist was almost bearable now.

She could hear Kagoq's breathing slow as his sleep deepened, the sound of it somehow comforting. After a while, she closed her eyes and turned her thoughts to Asgard. She tried to pretend that she was at home in her cottage. She thought about waking to hear her mother singing. She remembered her mother's stories of Odin's palace, of the beauty of Queen Frigga, and the tales of Thor and other heroes. Of her sister, Sif, a warrior who lived in Asgard's great city, and how one day Birgitta would bring them together, and she could live among gods.

And when sleep did not come, Asrior prayed to those gods for the first time.

Once again that night, she slid from her bed, this time moving toward the room's lone window instead of the door. She fell to her knees in front of it, tipping her head against the stone sill. Her eyes squeezed shut and her wrist held carefully at her side, she tried to will the gods on Asgard to hear her pleas. Odin, her mother had said, was good and just, while Thor and the warriors that surrounded him were as brave as they were strong. And so she begged them, her voice but a whisper, to hear her prayers and return her safely to her home.

"Asrior? Why are you out of bed? Does your wound pain you?"

Kagoq's sleepy voice made her jump. So deep was her focus that she'd forgotten he was there.

Turning her head to meet the eye watching her, Asrior found that she was not as frightened of him as she had been before.

"I'm praying," she admitted, her voice hushed. And then, turning, she looked up and out at the stars, her voice filled with the certainly of a child. "The gods of Asgard will help me if I ask."

She closed her eyes, and as another prayer formed on her lips, she heard him sigh and shift on his mat. His voice was low, and she could tell he was close to sleep again.

"You should not bother. The gods will not come for you."

….

By the time she was twelve, she'd learned that Kagoq was right about the gods. There was no rescue, no savior-warriors riding to the fortress to save her. Asrior learned by then that she could rely on only two things for survival—Kagoq's lessons and the memories she kept locked in her head.

She learned many things in those years. She taught herself not to cry or show fear or weakness. She learned to hide her longing for the warmth of her homeland, and learned that, even when she had to hide her mother's gold chain, that Birgitta still lived on in her heart. She discovered that friendship and beauty existed in unexpected places. Most importantly, she learned to keep such sentiments hidden, and that she could endure most of the outside world if she lived part of her life inside of herself.

Kagoq schooled her in the ways of the House of Valtur. She learned their customs and language, though she was forbidden to try to use magic or to learn to fight.

The dwarf taught her more practical skills as well. He taught her how to pretend that it hurt and to cry out when he took her hair in front of her father or the guards, and how to duck just so, so that when he slapped his hand over her head the impact looked worse than the reality. She learned the necessity of Kagoq acting the punisher. Her father, though he'd refrained from using more dark magic against her, was not loathed to use his fists.

She learned that Kagoq was usually right about most things.

Still, when it came to one lesson, she'd resisted.

They were in the room where she learned, watching the commotion in the yard below them through a window, the first time he broached the subject.

"Malekith's movements are dangerous. They bode ill for the future," Kagoq muttered darkly, watching a tall, heavily armored elf walk toward to the fortress gate with her father. "He will provoke war with Asgard. The leader of your world will bring Odin's wrath down upon us."

She glared at him in indignation, hissing, "This is as much my world as yours."

Setting his mouth, Kagoq continued, "There is no good path. Malekith will either succeed, which will allow your father too much power. Or he will fail, which will be worse." At Asrior's questioning look, he explained, "If Malekith falls there will be a vacuum…the elf lords still standing will begin to fight amongst themselves. Already your father talks out of both sides of his mouth. Though he pledges fealty, you notice that he has not pledged to actually do battle alongside his king."

"You think he longs to rule?"

Her teacher grunted. "Your father will use the opportunity to increase his power, surely. Valtur the Unmerciful is loyal to none but his own interests."

Valtur and Malekith were striding outside of the gate then, and the servants attending in the yard scattered in their wake.

"Come back to your lesson," Kagoq said, the weariness in his voice sudden, and his hunched body moved slowly toward the table in the center of the room. Valtur had raged the night before, nervous over the impending visit from their ruler, and he'd beaten the dwarf for spilling mead as he'd poured it.

"I am not in the mood to learn about the past princes of Svartalfheim," she said, not moving. "Let us leave to my room. I can read what I want while you rest…"

"That will only get me beaten again, child. Now sit down and prepare to be quizzed on your ancestors."

Huffing, she did as she was asked, falling heavily into the chair. "I don't know why I have to do this."

"Don't you?" he asked, a look of surprise in his eye. "A daughter of the House of Valtur must know such things. Your father thinks it bad enough that you look so little of Svaralfheim. You must not look ignorant of your race in front of suitors."

'Sui…" she began, her jaw dropping open. "You mean, to marry?"

The scars on his face twisted as he smirked. "Shut your mouth, Asrior. It is unbecoming on you. If your father sees you like that, it will get me beaten again. I'm starting to think that is your plan."

She scowled. "I am not getting married. I am but twelve."

"Mmmm," he said, pulling a heavy book toward him. "Not this week, no. But your father will arrange it when you are of majority. Such is the way of things, and you have much to learn before that time."

Her frown drew deeper. "Who? Who will it be?"

"How am I to know?" He growled, annoyed at her questions. "Someone from Malekith's court, no doubt. Maybe an elf prince. Or a soldier high in the ranks. Someone important."

A thought occurred to her, and the look on her face softened. "Then I can marry you. That will settle things nicely."

It was Kagoq's turn for his mouth gape open. "Wha… Child?"

"Well, it makes sense," she reasoned, the idea growing as she explained, "You are my teacher and guardian, so you are a very important part of the House of Valtur. See? And if I must marry, it can be you instead of one of the men who came with Malekith. Their stares are filled with menace. They do not like that I am not as pale as them and that I look of Asgard." She frowned at the memory, then stated, as though the matter were settled, "You do not mind how I look, and you are my only friend, and I love you. It will be you."

Emotion twisted Kagoq's mangled face, but his words were dampening. "I appreciate that you hold childish sentiments, but such a thing is impossible, Asrior."

"Why?" she asked, nettled at his attempt to impede her plans. "I do not understand."

He looked as though he'd eaten something bitter as he gritted out, "I am _not_ honored in this house, do you not understand that much? I am not your friend, I am a slave. I am a possession. You are but a child, so perhaps you do not see the way of things. I am not of this world, Asrior, and I would not be here if it were my choosing. As a slave, I am bound to obey my master…"

"You are kind to me because you are so ordered? I see you as a friend because you act like one, and I love you because of it. Do you not love me as well?"

"No, I do not. I do not love," he grunted, his eye steely. "It is dangerous to do so."

"You're lying." Asrior said, her eyes narrowing. "Just the other day you said you loved peaches."

He snorted. "Ah, but I spoke of Asgardian peaches, one of the few decent things that wretched realm has spawned. If there is anything worth my affection, it is those. They are like inhaling sunshine. You, however, are a willful and bothersome child who I am forced to attend." He thumped the table with a hand, his one eye moved to regard her steadily, shining in his scared face. "You must cease talking of such things. You are determined to see us all beaten."

Used to his words not meeting his actions, Asrior decided to let things be, and instead leaned forward, broaching another subject that had plagued her for ages.

"You have spoken of Asgard before. You've been there?"

He nodded, admitting, "A very long time ago. I do not want to…"

"Did you fight there with Valtur? I've heard them speak of the sneak attacks on the borders. Was that where you were wounded? In battle?"

Kagoq looked down again, and when he spoke, she had to strain to hear him.

"I have never been in battle, Asrior."

It took a moment for his words to sink in, and then her chest grew tight and words stuck in her throat as she looked at his scars. She tried to think of something to say, but he continued, "And one day… One day soon, your father will order you to beat me. You will be expected to mete out my punishment on your own as you get older."

Asrior's eyes widened, and she shook her head. "You mean, hit you? I could never do that. Do not be ridiculous."

"When he orders such, you must do so. You must promise me."

She refused.

Kagoq begged, bringing up the subject more than once as the weeks passed, reminding her that the punishment Valtur would bring would be all the greater if she disobeyed him. But she could not comprehend pain worse than having her companion hurt by her own hand. She was resolute in her rejection of his pleas.

Once again, Kagoq was right.

The moment came half a year later, after Malekith and the elf-turned-demon Kurse fell at the hands of Thor and Odin. Valtur's moods were extreme as he maneuvered for position in the resulting struggle for control over Svartalfheim. No one was safe from his wrath, and when he sent for Asrior late one evening, after she'd retired for bed, Kagoq was too slow to wake her. Her father had run to the room, raging at their sluggishness, pulling out the whip he constantly wore at his hip as he pushed the dwarf to the ground. Then he looked at his daughter, a horrid kind of hunger distorting his face.

"He coddles you too much," he said, his mouth curling down as he spit out the words. "You must learn that you are the one to control him before you enter adulthood."

Valtur thrust the whip toward her, and Asrior recoiled. "No," she whispered, for the whip was an instrument of dark magic, and the scars it left were permanent. "You ask too much of me."

"I was unaware that I had asked." Her father's voice was low and dangerous. "You dare to disobey me?"

"I will not beat him." Asrior's voice was stronger, and though her insides were shaking, she glared at the man across from her and ignored Kagoq's whispered entreaties to do as her father asked. "It is cruel to do so, and I refuse. There are other ways I can…"

"You refuse me?" her father murmured, taking a step toward her. "Because you do not want to be cruel to a slave?"

"I said I will not beat him. There are other ways, Father," she insisted, but before she could say anything more, she found herself thrown to the ground next to Kagoq.

"Then take his place."

Asrior barely registered the sound of the crack before pain such as she'd never felt ripped across her back and curled down her right leg. It was worse than the flame whose scar she still bore on her wrist, worse than she could have imagined. Black floated in front of her eyes and her ears were filled with a hum so that she did not hear the second crack as the whip fell. Or the others that followed.

She was aware of nothing but the searing, unending agony. Someone was shrieking, and she vaguely realized that it her own voice. She moved her arms as she tried to move away from the unending lash of the whip, but it was impossible. Every movement felt as though her body was cutting through glass. She managed to turn her head, ready to beg and promise anything if it would stop, when her eyes met Kagoq's horrified gaze.

His smashed and ugly face was twisted with rage, and he was shouted something that made Valtur lower his hand. Asrior managed to move after that, rolling to her side. Her back was sticky and it felt as though flesh was hanging from its bones. Bile rose into her throat at the ache. She tried to stop it, but soon she was vomiting onto her arm. Her chest was heaving with the effort to control her sickness when Kagoq's words finally registered.

"…lies to the Allfather that you fought against Malekith instead of plotting at his side. Do you think Odin will believe your lying tongue when you present your scar-covered daughter to the court in Asgard? Do you think the father of the God of Lies himself will be fooled by you?"

Voltur kicked Kagoq in the head, hard, in the spot where his right eye had been. "Her armor will cover her scars," he hissed, and he lowered himself to a knee to stare down at the defiant dwarf that lay prostrate before him. "And who here will tell the Allfather of my lies?"

Asrior, still gasping, tried to crawl to Kagoq, shaking her head as she managed to moan, "No…"

"You think your whip can si…" Kagoq began, his eye burning, but before the words could fully exit his mouth, Voltur grabbed his face, and his hand clamed over his chin. His other hand moved to his belt, and Asrior saw a flash of silver as he bent over the dwarf. Then it sounded as though someone was choking, and soon after she heard horrifying screams and the sound of a muttered spell.

She kept trying to get to him, her eyes closing as pain coursed through her. "Stop…" she whispered, terrified at the sounds coming from Kagoq. "No…"

The cries ended as suddenly as they began, to be replaced by the sound of low, piteous moaning and Valture's heavy, exultant breaths.

"So you see," her father began, triumph on his face as he rose to his feet, "there will be no telling of anything should we journey to Asgard. You cannot speak at all now, Kagoq, and as long as you cannot speak, you cannot tell. And you…" He turned to look down at Asrior, a smile curling his voice. "I have ensured that so long as no one can see the scars blooming on your lovely back, daughter, you cannot tell either."

He turned to walk away, holstering the knife he held as he bit out, "So let us not bother anymore about my lying tongue."

Kagoq moved beside her, an incoherent scream of pain and fury erupting from him. Asrior turned her head to look at him, horror overtaking her as she did so. Blood covered his lips, was dripping from his open mouth and onto the floor.

She pushed up higher onto an arm, ignoring the agony of movement, and reached toward Kagoq. Her hand stilled when she saw it, the bloody piece of pulp lying on the floor next to his face.

The bile in her throat rose again when she realized it was Kagoq's tongue.

It was days before he was able to come to her with his salve, days Asrior spent deep in the place in her mind where Birgitta still lived. It took near to a month for her wounds to fully heal, and in that time, she traveled to her mother often. She remembered that the bread her mother baked was, without fail, either underdone or burnt. She remembered gentle hands brushing her hair, and mismatched clothes, and songs sung in an off-key tune. She wanted her mother, she told Kagoq, who sat by her, listening to her ramble; and he would put the salve on her scars when her words turned to whimpers, humming a low and slow tune that soothed her.

Three more months passed before Valtur once again demanded that she beat the dwarf.

Once again, Kagoq implored that she do so, this time pleading with his eyes.

Asrior raised her hand and struck him, her own eyes begging for his forgiveness.

….

In the years that followed, Kagoq learned to talk to her again using his hands. At first, his efforts were crude. A finger pointed to an ear for 'listen'. Two fingers jabbed at an eye for "look." Over time, their signs became more sophisticated, and they spent their spare moments seeking out new objects or phrases to interpret in their language.

Kagoq no longer managed her learning, of course, but he was allowed to attend to her as a guard. Asrior knew that he was meant to be a lesson to her. A living symbol that herlife was not her own. She was one of Valtur's possessions, a belonging subject to his absolute control.

Her father grew bolder after he'd cursed them. In time, Kagoq lost a hand entire and the most of the use of the other. The scars on his body grew.

Valtur's use of dark magic against her increased as well, for he knew so long that the scars could be hidden under her clothing, his risk of discovery was little. Her mouth was bound by the curse he'd put in place when he cut out Kagoq's tongue. He'd shown her such early on, not long after that first beating with the whip.

Just days after she'd finally emerged from her chambers, Odin had sent emissaries to visit Valtur in search of alliances in the wake of Malekith's defeat. She'd been called into the great hall to welcome them, and after he presented her to the four warriors from Asgard, her father sat back in his chair and smiled.

"I have not seen you in a while, daughter. How long has it been?"

"Little over a month, Father," she answered, her voice a whisper as she rose from the curtsy she offered the men. The armor she wore over her dress was heavy and uncomfortable on the still-throbbing scar that covered her back and snaked down her leg.

"And what did we do, you and I, the last time that we met?"

Her breath caught in her chest when she glanced at the men of Asgard. They were massive, taller than many of the dark elves she lived among, and their pink-hued skin looked like hers. The four were looking between Valtur and herself, their shining helmets held in one hand, the other hands held near the weapons at their hips. The gold and silver of their armor shone brightly in the torchlight, and while their expressions were guarded, one of them noticed her stare and lifted his mouth in the smallest of smiles.

Remembering her prayers from childhood, a part of Asrior hoped that the gods had heard her. Odin, dedicated to justice after a war that had taken the life of his beloved Frigga and so many others, had at last sent someone who could rescue her. The peace-seeking Queen Alflyse had just established her rule over Svartalfheim, so there was no need to favor Valtur. And as the gods had defeated an entire army of dark elves, what was a handful more to these warriors?

Emboldened, she began to tell them that the last time she'd seen her father, he'd beaten her so badly with a cursed weapon that the scars had only just healed enough to allow her to move from her room, and could they take her back to Asgard, please.

But her mouth would not open and the words stuck on her tongue.

Frustrated, she tried again, deciding instead to simply say, "He beat me." Again, her mouth refused to open. The Asgardians were staring at her, their brows rising at her odd behavior. Tears threatened, and she glared at her father, anger and despondence warring within her.

"We discussed my lessons," she finally managed, her voice choked.

He smirked, enjoying her discomfort. "Yes, that's right." And then he waved his hand in dismissal. "You may go now, Asrior. You are not yet of age to attend to guests such as these. I simply desired to make your position here clear."

She bobbed another quick curtsey and turned, almost running from the grand room to her small chamber. Kagoq sat waiting, as he was barred from showing his face to visitors from the outside. When he saw her expression upon her return, he sighed and shook his head, as though saying, "I told you, do not look to the gods for help."

Years passed before they finally made the journey to Asgard. Rumors from the realm of Muspelheim had reached the Allfather's ears; the fire demon Surtur, it was said, had made plans to conquer the realms, forcing Odin and Thor to form closer alliances with many ancient enemies, including dark elves such as Valtur. When a contingent from Svartalfheim traveled to the land of her birth as part of the negotiations, Asrior and her father accompanied them.

Kagoq traveled with them as well, but he was forced to wear a fitted hood and mask in public. Asrior, dressed in her dark armor, her hair pulled back to expose her elven ears, was made to accompany her father everywhere. Not that they were often invited to any of the honored homes in the city, much less the royal palace. Despite the Allfather's effort to reach peace with Svartalfheim, the sins of the dark elves still hung heavy over the realm, and Odin would not anger his lords by showing their old foes too much favor.

In those rare times when they were allowed in the most inner sanctum, Asrior was forced to stand silently to the side; still considered a child at fifteen, she could not formally attend court, though she was allowed to attend to her father as a hand servant.

Thus, one rare night when they entered the House of Odin, Asrior found herself braced against a golden wall, her armor making her scars ache, watching as Valtur the Unmerciful sat at one of the Asgardian king's banquet tables, surrounded by the gods to which his daughter had once prayed.

Thor was near the Allfather, his voice booming over the assembled voices. Asrior tried to keep her eyes lowered, for he was temping to look upon. It was hard not to stare, so pleasing was his visage. The sight of him made her heart beat faster, and she'd once been so absorbed in the color of his hair that she'd neglected the sound of her father's voice. He'd berated her later, though the simple fact that they were in Asgard stayed his use of black magic against her.

The rumble of her stomach distracted her attention, and she briefly thought about taking out the bread she'd hidden under her armor. Though she could not attend the table when in the palace, a servant usually brought a plate to her spot against the wall; Asrior took to pocketing much of what was offered to give to Kagoq, who often went without food. Being in Asgard tempered Valtur's treatment of her, but it was the dwarf who paid a heavy price for it.

She was biting her lip, determined to ignore the pains in her stomach when she noticed that servants were laying a table close by with deserts. There were cakes and pastries piled high, glittering with icing and decorated with flowers. Bottles of wine circled the sweets, and there was fruit, mounds of it. The most luscious apples, great round grapes. And peaches. Piles and piles of glistening Asgardian peaches.

Asrior moved before she realized what she was doing, inching along the wall as the last servant turned away from the overflow of food. She began with two peaches, shoving them hastily into her pockets, and then three more found their way into other recesses of her clothing.

She had her hands on two more when she risked a look toward the banquet—Thor was laughing, his gaze riveted on this new bride, and Valtur was leering at an underdressed goddess as he tipped back his goblet of mead. The others were eating and drinking and joining in the frivolity, the noise rising to a feverish pitch. Everyone was too absorbed in the gaiety around them to notice the elf-child stealing pieces of fruit.

Everyone except for the pale-skinned, night-black haired God of Lies.

He… He sat at the end of the table near to where she stood, far away from his father and brother, and he had pushed his chair back a little, as though to remove himself from the others. His long fingers tapped a rhythm on the arms of his seat, and his eyes were trained on her. Asrior paused when she noticed him, her hands tightening on the fruit.

Loki Laufeyson—descendant of giants, son of two realms, master of tricks—was _amused_ at what he saw. His pale green eyes gleamed when they flitted over the stolen peaches in her hands, his thin lips quirking upward in delight.

He wasn't as massive as the king or Thor, but he was just an intimidating. His was a long, lean strength…elegant and deadly, encased in gold and green armor, and it was nothing to the razor-sharp depths of his mind if gossip was true. Asrior had heard the tales of him, how he had mapped out the destruction of entire races, how he'd played both his brother and the enemies of Asgard for fools, how he'd battled brute strength using his magic and wits. How he looked out for none but himself and his own interests. He sounded much like her father.

Of all the gods of Asgard, she had not prayed to him.

His gaze stayed on her, turning her cheeks hot and making her skin prickle, and, angry at the sensations, Asrior glared at him in defiance, shoving the two peaches under her armor and reaching for more.

Loki's lips parted into a grin as she did so, and for a moment, she was afraid he would bring attention to her thievery. But he turned his gaze back to where the king sat after a heartbeat, a mask of boredom encasing his face. The long fingers on his chair stilled and his hands moved to clasp together in front of him.

Asrior, hiding the last of the fruit, sidled back to her previous position. A knot coiled in her stomach, and she looked down at the floor again, ignoring it as she wished desperately for the banquet to end.

Later, when she gave Kagoq her bounty, he saw fit to lecture her for being too bold. Annoyed, she signed furiously at him, using rude gestures to call him ungrateful. The dwarf refused to talk to her for two days after.

But on the third day, when they were away from the city and deep in the woods because her father ventured out for a hunt, the pair found themselves alone in Valtur's open carriage. Kagoq had been allowed to pull the hood from his head as the forest grew heavier, and when they stopped in a clearing for the elves to move away from the livery in pursuit of wolves, he sighed and pulled something from the bag he wore around his waist.

It was one of the peaches she'd stolen. Asrior, looking down at it, grunted in annoyance, still peeved at him. "What? I thought I was a rash, dim-witted child for taking it."

Kagoq grunted back, signing, _I want you to have it._

"You have changed your mind as to my cleverness? Or do you mock me?"

The dwarf dropped the fruit on her lap, and his hand moved clumsily. _You risk too much for me. You scare me._ He paused and added, _I'm sorry._

Asrior tipped her head back onto the carriage seat and looked at his scarred and dented face. Kagoq's jaw was set, his eye resolute. Despite the determination on his face, he looked too weary, she thought. She did not know how old he was, but the impact of her father's beatings was wearing more on him lately, so much so that it frightened her.

"Surely this is the last of the peaches." Her fingers wrapped around it. "You should have it."

He shook his head and pointed at her. _You._

"Kagoq…peaches are like…like inhaling sunshine, remember? You _love_ these."

The dwarf did not look at her when he slowly moved a hand to his chest to place two fingers in the center of it, allowing them to rest there for a while, and then turned those fingers to point at her again.

_Love. You._

It was impossible to breathe. Biting her lips so hard she could taste blood, Asrior tried to say something. But the words stuck, as though her father's curse was binding her tongue.

So she nudged his knee with hers, hard, making him turn toward her, and she moved her hands, signing, _When I marry, I will take you with me. Then we can have all the peaches we can eat._

Kagoq's eye turned bright, but the downward set of his mouth told her he knew her words were hollow. Valtur would never give her such freedom. When she left childhood and the time came to marry, it would be someone of her father's choice and it would be someone he would own, as he owned her. And she did not know if Kagoq would survive in the meantime.

He sighed after a moment, his hands moving again. _If I am not around then…_

She began to protest, but stopped at his annoyed glare.

_When I am not around, remember my lessons. Be safe. Be strong._

_I will not let anything happen to you,_ she answered, her eyes holding his. _I will take care of you._

As she had grown older, Asrior had realized things about her time on Asgard. She understood why her mother could not bake well, why their clothes were ill-fitting, and why the little else they owned was handmade—and Asrior knew why, despite such things, she had never felt as though they wanted for anything. Birgitta was a high-born lady of Asgard with little knowledge of the ways of keeping a house, and when she'd hidden from Valtur, she did not ask for help lest she endanger her youngest daughter. And so she'd relied on her own wits and instinct to help them survive, and had given such love that it lasted beyond death.

And now her daughter vowed to do the same.

_I will take care of you_, Asrior repeated the desperate promise, and when Kagoq smiled even as he shook his head with doubt, she insisted, _I will find a way_.

The sound of hooves and shouts grew near as her father's party returned to the clearing. Valtur was snarling, blaming one of the men for interfering with his shot at the wolf. The hunt was going poorly, and he was in a sour mood. Beside her, Kagoq shifted nervously, and Asrior quickly concealed the peach in the folds of her skirt.

"I'm sorry, my lord," the courtier was saying, sliding from his horse and falling on a knee.

In answer, her father raised the bow in his hand and crashed in upon the elf's back, knocking him to the ground.

"Kagoq! Come and give me his arrows and take the horse. Drok will not ruin my hunt again."

The dwarf stumbled from the carriage at the demand, and rushed to his master's bidding. His gnarled hand fumbled at the elf's weapons, dropping them, and as he tried to pick them up again, had to duck when Valtur swung his bow.

"Is there no one here competent enough to assist me?" He shouted, swinging again and striking Kagoq's back with the bow. The dwarf fell onto the weapons he was trying to gather, and some of the arrows snapped under his weight. Valtur, spitting with rage, slid from his own mount, his hand flexing at his whip as though he ached to use it, and the eager look he gave the cowering dwarf had Asrior's stomach clenching in fear.

He uncoiled the whip and swung it, hitting the ground with it as he shouted. When Kagoq tried to pick up the broken arrows again, Valtur continued to shout and swung the whip, hitting the ground closer to the dwarf. He was working himself into a frenzy, and Asrior knew he would not stop until he had assuaged his wrath through pain and blood. So blind with fury was he that he failed to notice the warning shouts of his guards, who were warning of riders advancing down a ridge into their clearing.

Riders, she saw, who flew Odin's flag.

Asrior could see the golden banner fluttering as they rode, and the heart that had been hammering as though it would burst from her chest seemed to stop. King's men were approaching, men who would be upon them soon and who might discover her father in the act of using dark magic against Kagoq and who might _see_.

If they arrived in time.

But one of the dark elf guards that rode with Valtur had grabbed his arm to get his attention, and others were trying to form a circle around Kagoq, as though to shield him.

Much as she'd done when she stole the fruit days before, Asrior acted on instinct. Clutching the peach in her hand, she rushed out of the carriage and sprinted closer to the ruckus.

The metallic taste of fear and adrenaline filled her mouth as she cried out, "The slave is too slow because he grows fat and lazy." The words drew her father's attention, and she lifted the peach, glaring at Kagoq's astonished face. "This fell out of his pocket when he left the carriage," she continued, spitting the words out in a fury. "The slave has dared to steal from you, Father."

Eager to vent his rage, Valtur shook then hand on his arm away, shouting, "You dare take what is mine?"

She heard the crack before she saw her father move, and then Kagoq was on his side, screaming and clutching at his neck where the whip had hit. The elves around them scattered, trying to avoid both the whip and the hooves of horses as they reared in fear; but Asrior ran forward and kicked out at Kagoq, her boot connecting with his shoulder so that he fell onto his chest.

The whip rained down again and again, her father pausing only when he finally noticed that riders had entered the clearing.

The dwarf's clothes were bloody and torn, but the layers stuck to his skin, covering his scars; so Asrior shouted, "Why do you stop?" And she fell down upon him, her hands clawing at his back, and it took everything in her to continue when she heard her friend's moans.

A hard hand ripped her from him after a moment, throwing her to the side, but she'd managed to grab Kagoq's vest and undershirt in her fists before they did so. Clumps of the material were now there, wet against her palms as she fell onto the grass, but the rest of the tattered clothing lay open, bearing the proof of his abuse.

"What is the meaning of this?" A woman's voice broke the across them, and someone tall and dark-haired strode over to where Kagoq lay.

Breathing heavily, Asrior pushed herself to her feet and watched as her sister, Sif, knelt by Kagoq's side and put a hand over his wounded back, muttering, "This looks of dark magic. This is forbidden."

More of the king's men were dismounting from their horses, and one with a pointed blond beard moved to stand by Sif. His sword was half out of the scabbard as he snarled at Valtur, spitting out, "How dare the likes of _you_ roam this realm! I swear by Odin…

"I am an honored guest of Odin's," Valtur spoke over him, smiling widely. "You did not know? I thought the Warriors Three and the Lady Sif were close to the king." He looked at the assembled Asgardians, as though searching for a particular face. "Or do only two warriors attend the king now?"

The blond one's eyes narrowed, and another, fat and red-bearded, snarled out, "We were on an errand for the Allfather! And when he hears of what you have done today, you will not be so honored as you claim."

"What I have done? Do you persist in your slander against me?" Valtur began, and said something else that caused the red-headed warrior to shout again.

Asrior continued to gaze at her sister, who was beckoning to some of the men. She tried to shout, to beg Sif to look at her and understand that she bore such scars as well and to please take her too; but her mouth was held closed by the curse.

Then she looked at her father and the warriors surrounding him. She expected them to be looking back at her, expected her father's rage when he realized how she had tricked him. But Asrior was forgotten as the Asgardians and Valtur did battle with words. It was as though she were not there.

None looked at her but the whimpering Kagoq, who turned his head to watch her when he was put upon a board by the king's men.

Someone said something about a healing room, and Sif was pointing a sword at Valtur, disgust lacing her voice as she spit out, "He is not your slave, anymore, _my lord_. You have broken Asgardian law, and as such, this dwarf is under our protection. And you will be lucky if this servant is all you lose use of today."

And then the men lifted the board to take him away. Asrior put a hand to her mouth in shock when she realized that her makeshift plan was working.

But distress swept over Kagoq's face, and he shook his head as he stared at Asrior, mouthing _No_.

Tears threatened her eyes, but she willed them away. Kagoq was shaking his head faster, moaning. And as the men began to move, she kept her eyes locked with his one, deliberately moving her hand from her mouth to say goodbye to her friend, first putting a finger to the inside of a wrist.

_Be safe_.

She put a fist to her chest.

_Be brave._

She touched the corner of her mouth.

_Be happy. _

And then, Asrior's heart close to breaking, she moved two fingers to her chest and held them there before pointing at him.

Kagoq's low moans turned to cries.

The rest of the king's men were on their horses again, riding past her so that her view of him was obscured, and the sound of the hooves and shouts covered his cries. She moved to the side, then, away from the rush of men and horseflesh, noticing that one of the soldiers spit at the ground as he went past, missing her by an inch.

Reeling with the suddenness of the rescue, she got in her father's carriage and closed her eyes, giving silent thanks to whatever god had allowed her to fulfill her promise to take care of her friend so quickly. She stayed such throughout the journey through the forest and back to the great city. When they were in their quarters, her father's heated demands rained down on everyone, and within hours, their belongings were packed and Asrior stood next to Valtur waiting for the portal to return them to Svartalfheim.

It was only later—when she lay in her small stone chamber waiting to hear the familiar sound of Kagoq's breathing—that she realized that, for the first time in her life, she was truly alone. Kagoq would never be back with her in the fortress.

She knew then that Valtur's rage would not go away. The loss of his slave to Asgardians would eat at his pride. The humiliation would stay with him; it would simmer and burn until it burst. Asrior knew that she would be the one to bear the brunt of it.

She would have to be her own protector now.

Asrior told herself that she could bear such a burden, for she had the memory of her mother; and now the knowledge that Kagoq was safe would sustain her as well.

And it struck her that in the end, Kagoq had been right. The gods had not come for her.

But she had helped bring them to him.


	2. Chapter 1--The sins of the fathers

A/N-thank you to for reading, and thanks to my reviewers and subscribers! It is such a thrill to know that someone out there likes the twisted workings of my thoughts as I put pen to...well, fingers to keyboard. I hope you like this next part.

We see more of Loki in this chapter, as well as a bit Thor and a peak of two Avengers who will show up again very soon and play a larger role later in the fic.

I've based the Asgard in this story on a map on the marvel wiki ( marveldatabase/images/9/97/Asgard_ ). It lays out the Asgardian continent I use here, and you'll see names of countries on the map mentioned in chapter 1 and in later chapters.

I hope to keep this updated fairly frequently, and I've actually got several chapters written already (though some are rough drafts). *fingers crossed*

And, as always, thanks to guineamania for being beta!

* * *

**Chapter 1—The sins of the fathers…**

Years passed before Asrior saw Asgard again.

During that time, her eyes opened to the world around her in ways not possible when Kagoq had guarded her. She grew to understand how much he'd shielded her from her father's moods and cruelty, and how he had protected her from even harsher realities of life outside of their world in the fortress.

Such knowledge, despite the severity in the getting of it, was worth keeping. It made her stronger.

In those years alone, she'd learned to veil herself in pretense. She learned to acquiesce to her father's demands without question, to embrace his way of living with a forceful outward conviction. This kept his physical reprimands to a minimum, and though she bore many more scars on her body, she still had use of her eyes and limbs. Such a feat was considerable given Valtur's growing instability in the years that followed Kagoq's rescue.

And by acting the dutiful daughter so well, Valtur had shown her a small amount of favor, even giving her a little freedom; it wasn't much, but it was enough so that she began to learn about the demons that drove him.

He, too, was of Asgard, she discovered.

The bastard son of an Asgardian warrior who had had lain with the daughter of a Prince of Svartalfheim for sport, Valtur had been abandoned by his own father while he was still in the womb. That explained his ever-present facial armor—as much as he derided Asrior for hiding her ears as a child, he was ashamed of his own too-pink, too-smooth skin that set him apart from other dark elves. It explained why she herself looked so much of the realm of the gods.

She'd also learned that her mother, Birgitta, was a widow mourning the loss of her warrior-husband when she'd been seduced by Valtur in the years before their people began waging war against the other. Valtur had deliberately gotten her with child, taking her away with him to Svartalfheim upon conception, intent to prove to Asgard how superior the dark elf race was in claiming and keeping their own half-breed bastards.

It was her mother who had left soon before Asrior was born, abandoning Valtur upon realizing the extent of his cruel nature; with the help of a sympathetic servant, she had run away and hidden in Asgard among lonely hills rich with iron. The dark elves' power was made weak by such metal, and the lords of Svartalfheim were most susceptible to its ills. So Birgitta had born Asrior there, going little into the villages around them, and hiding her infant daughter's ears with lace caps, and, as she grew older, her long hair.

That was why she did not go back to the great city of Asgard, why she did not seek out her older daughter, Sif. Birgitta knew well what would be in store for her youngest at the hands of Valtur, so she hid and waited for his defeat or death. And when she'd died so suddenly, it was Asgardian men who'd come to take Asrior from the hills and to her father. Men who were desperate for money or who wanted to protect their own families from the dark elves' constant forays onto Asgard's furthermost borders.

Asrior, desperate for her own survival, came to understand what drove their actions, even if she hated them for it; for in protecting herself, she had assumed a mask of such falseness that she wondered if Kagoq would recognize her if he saw her again. So artful and deep was her deception that she sometimes felt she could be mistaken for the God of Lies himself.

And when the time came that they returned to Asgard, she had passed from childhood and into the time those of both her races aged so slowly as to be almost immortal. And Asrior again spent her days at her father's side, though this time she was formally presented to the court.

Few but the king welcomed the presence of dark elves of Svartalfheim—the majority of the court treated Valtur and his party with the barest of civility, and only a small cadre of suitors made up of more of Asgard's desperate men acknowledged Asrior's presence. Men so hungry for fortune or power or other gain that they were willing to unite with the half-breed bastard of a dark elf to get what they desired.

She played her role in the farce masterfully, enduring the address of those hopeless men with a calm demeanor, and icily ignoring the ill-concealed whispers and hostile eyes of others. She returned snubs with haughty stares, pretended that she did not hear the cutting words slung behind her back; and when even Sif, her own flesh and blood, looked past her as though she were not there, Asrior's expression was one of arrogance and detachment befitting the daughter of Valtur the Unmerciful.

For though she was not content to be alone, she was accustomed to it. She told herself that her sister's indifference did not hurt. And the opinions of the others did not matter. If the members of Asgard's court were quick to judge in the wake of their own shallow pursuits and ill-inclined to consider what existence she'd lived at the hands of her father, it had no bearing on her life now. For Asrior knew the gods were not there to help her, and she was not in Asgard to make merry and gossip and act the friend to those who were not.

All that was important, in the end, were the lessons she'd learned during her years without Kagoq and the things she'd since discovered during her escapes to the Asgardian palace library.

And the items she'd quietly stolen from those disdainful nobles who graced Asgard's grand halls.

Now, Asrior simply needed one thing more. Then she could make her escape.

….

"I have chosen a husband for you."

Her steps faltered slightly at the words, though if Valtur noticed, he most likely blamed the wounded leg that sometimes pained her. But he did not mention her lack of grace as they continued across the grand courtyard that led to the palace's banquet hall.

"Pauulus, son of Jerrik, who was cousin to Queen Frigga," he continued, murmuring as though talking to himself. "It is an advantageous match. I had once thought to connect our house to another on Svartalfheim, but such has happened that a union with certain lords of Asgard is more to my advantage."

Bitter thoughts ran through Asrior's mind at his words. She wanted to ask what about _her _advantage, her preferences, and which of the desperate, sniveling old men he would have her lay with because it was helpful to _him_.

But she held those thoughts back. She had loosened her sometimes too-sharp tongue enough that week, and while they were in public now, the reminder of a recent slap against her mouth was enough to stay her words.

"I am happy at the union, if it so pleases you, father," she said instead, satisfied with how sincere she managed to sound.

"Everything will be formalized upon Jerrik's return with Pauulus from Nornheim. I was not sure if we would reach an agreement for a while, for Jerrik was being stubborn about his own interests." Valtur looked down at her briefly, before moving to back his own thoughts. "The family is very much aware of the value of their connections; but as their wealth is in their land, and they require monetary assets if it is not to fall into ruin…"

She made a sound of understanding, wondering if the family's ill fortune was a recent event borne of her father's own machinations; Valtur had gambled heavily during their time in Asgard, winning so often that rumors of cheating were spreading. More than one of her suitors was recently lost of their wealth at her father's hand, paying court to her in an effort to regain some of it through the bride price that would come with marriage.

Noise grew as they neared the hall, and Valtur slowed to a stop, turning his eye to her again.

"You look well, daughter. You do favor to me and to Svartalfheim."

Asrior was wearing armor, as usual, though the dark-colored dress she wore beneath was of silk. She wore no ornaments other than dark ribbons studded with onyx. They were woven through her glowing red hair, which itself was wrapped in an intricate, braided coronet around her head, one long braid falling down her back. It had taken forever for the handmaiden to arrange, but the style had the effect of highlighting her elven ears. It was a look that Valtur favored.

A small group of women walked past then, giggling as they talked excitedly. Their eyes darted to Asrior and her father only briefly, and while a familiar sneer crossed the mouth of one of them, the others were too involved in their natter to fully show the dark elves their contempt.

Asrior did not listen to what they said. She watched them, trying not to show the envy she felt over their bright colored silk dresses, which were flowing and free of the painful restriction of armor, and she wondered what it was like to move so easily in a body not writ with scars.

Her father, however, watched them and listened, his eyes narrowed as he focused on their words.

"Come," he commanded suddenly, a hand at her elbow, sounding pensive. "It appears the king's brother has returned rather suddenly from his journeys. I must…pay my respects." He cast a look at her, adding, "And though he is a prince of the realm, you must avoid him should he attempt to approach you, Asrior. Laufeyson remains the God of Mischief as well as Lies, despite his status. His attentions are not what I need."

Startled, she asked, "Thor's brother? You think…you think he would pay court to me?"

"Long ago, he would for sport, if he thought it would annoy Thor and escape Odin's attention. Now, he'd do it to provoke me," Valtur said, his voice lowering as they entered the crowded hall. Asrior had to strain to hear him over the din of the crowd. "I am not sure as to his mind. There was a time when he played the friend to our kind, but he fought side by side with his father against Surtur, and it is said that Odin's death has changed him. And now that his brother has favored him with lands of his own to rule on the borders of the continent… I must tread carefully."

Remembering the uncomfortable feeling she'd gotten under the dark-haired god's amused stare so long ago, she muttered, "I did not like him when we were here before."

Valtur was handing over his weapons to guards, as was the norm when entering the massive banquet hall. When he turned from the table where his sword and various knives were collected, he scoffed. "No, though you enjoyed gazing upon Thor Odinson well enough." The eyes he turned on her were like stones. "You look surprised. Do you think me stupid, daughter?" He placed a hand at her shoulder, squeezing it hard, a reminder that he was in charge as he warned, "Little escapes my attention. You would do well to remember that."

Ice ran through her at the words, but she told herself that he did could not know about the steps she'd taken or the items she'd secreted away. Asrior forced herself to push such worries aside, however, for Valtur would surely notice if her fears showed upon her face.

She distracted herself by listening to the buzz of gossip that rose around the hall, thankful that for once that it was not centered on them; the arrival into Asgard of Loki Laufeyson, the reformed prince of two realms, had generated such anticipation that, tonight, the chattering masses ignored the presence of dark elves in their midst.

Still, the lack of focus on them made it no less intimidating when they at last had their audience. It was hard to look calm when her nerves were rattling around like a bilge snipe after prey, and it was even more difficult to keep her eyes cast down when it was so tempting to gaze upon Thor. She'd been formally introduced once, but he'd been on a massive throne so large and removed that it was easy to pretend it was someone else she'd knelt before. But here, they were up close, and it would not do to earn her father's wrath or look the fool by staring at the king like a lovesick cow.

So Asrior stared at the glistening white tablecloth that graced the king's table as she fell to a knee, listening to her father's florid words.

"Rise, please," Thor was saying, laughing, though there was an uneasy thread in his voice. "There is no need to be so formal here. We are having a feast, not a negotiation."

She stood as her father answered, keeping her gaze straight ahead at the tablecloth. When a woman's voice spoke, she still did not look up, even when she herself was being addressed.

"And this is your daughter? I'm sorry, I forget your name. What do you think of Asgard? Is this your first time at court?"

Her father answered instead, as was his rule when they were in public.

"Asrior. My daughter is Asrior, Queen Jane. And I can speak for her when I say that her time at court has been most pleasurable."

"You have a very beautiful name, Asrior. Asgardian names are unusual to me, but they are very poetic."

Asrior glanced up briefly in acknowledgement of the compliment, wondering if the queen realized the offense she'd given Valtur.

"We give you our thanks, though my daughter is of Svaralfheim, not Asgard," Valtur answered, his voice grim at her assumption, and he began goading when he said, "Though your conjecture was correct, she does bear an Asgardian name. It was chosen by her mother, and I find it suits her like it does no other. I suppose that is because I find much of this realm to be pedestrian without the touch of Svartalfheim to fully bring out its glory."

The crowd began muttering at his words, and Asrior's stomach clenched, waiting for what she knew would be the king's irate retort.

"And can she speak? Or did you cut out her tongue as well?"

The voice was rich as velvet and as smooth as the words were cutting; and Asrior's head snapped up in shock, for it was not Thor who spoke.

Both Valtur and the queen were making choking sounds at the blunt words, and Thor hissed, "Brother!"

Loki Laufeyson, sitting on the other side of the king, idly reached for a piece of fruit and asked, "What?" He lifted a grape to examine it, his cool green eyes trained on it as though they were discussing the merits of its shape. "I was only joking."

Then the corners of his mouth tilted upward and a quick laugh escaped. And a row of white teeth bared when he turned his gaze to her father. "You understand, don't you? My old friend?"

Beside her, Valtur stood, stiff and unyielding. His hand had wandered to his side as though in search of a weapon. Before he could act, before she even realized she was doing, Asrior spoke.

"It is not my tongue that you should concern yourself with, my lord. That, I still have use of."

From the corner of her eye, she saw Thor move uncomfortably, and her father shifted as well, clearly agitated. The God of Mischief and Lies, however, lowered the hand holding the grape, a brow quirking upward toward his raven-colored hair as he moved his liquid gaze to her. Lifting her chin, Asrior stared back at him, and then at his brother, an angry challenge of her own in her eyes.

_Yes, I still have use of my tongue, but only because I am worth more to Valtur with it than without. Do you not understand? Or are you so distracted by your petty quarrels that you not see?_

They did not.

Loki was still watching her, now cradling a peach he'd taken from a bowl next to him, and his mouth twitched, as though he were holding back words. But it was the king who spoke next, his smile tight as he offered words of conciliation.

"My most gracious Lord Valtur, you must excuse my brother's games. He grows weary after his travels…

Thor offered more apologies, which Valtur took grudgingly. Asrior turned her gaze back to the tablecloth, willing the king to bid them leave. The distraction his appearance provoked was forgotten; she could still feel Loki's eyes on her, and the bilge snipe had taken hold of her stomach now.

And then her father's hand was on her arm, and they moved from the table. She kept her eyes down as she left, and it wasn't until her father spoke in her ear that she realized she'd been holding her breath.

Valtur did not reprimand her for speaking up, as she feared. Instead, his moved to grasp her shoulder hard as he hissed, "Stay away from him if he approaches you. He is not to be trusted."

….

He wasn't sure what was worse in the wake of the dark elves' leave, the look Thor shot at him—a mix of unease, pity, and fear—or the words that followed.

"Loki… I have to attempt peace with Svartalfheim. You know this. You yourself were the one who counseled…"

"I did not realize that Valtur the Unmerciful was representative of that realm," Loki snapped, interrupting his brother. "I spoke of the Queen Alflyse, not his corrupted house. Why are there no other lords of Svartalfheim at court? You know the accusations against him…"

"Accusations brought by you because of a personal vendetta," Thor bit back, his voice rising. "You bring me words, but never proof."

The courtier, waiting to bring more guests forward, was hovering near the table, a look of anxiety on his face, and those milling around them strained to hear their words. Jane's hand moved to Thor's arm. "Please," she whispered. "Can you have this argument later, Thor? People aren't even trying to hide the fact that they're staring."

"I am not arguing." Thor's jaw set mulishly. "I am simply explaining to my brother that peace with all of the realms is the right thing to do, and I _will_ make peace with Svartalfheim."

"Later," she pleaded, and though she smiled, her embarrassment was evident. "This is not the place to have this discussion."

A thin smile spread over Loki's face as he watched her. He held little regard for the queen; her fragility and yielding nature annoyed him. But on this one night, he agreed with her opinion.

"Your wife is correct, this is not the time," he said, lowering his voice. "And the journey did wear on me. Please allow me to make my excuses and retire to my chambers. We can renew our discussion on the morrow."

Thor glanced at him as he pushed back from the table, and grunted before saying, "There is nothing to discuss. Valtur is welcome at my court, and you will do nothing to cause problems, Loki."

A mirthless laugh escaped his lips as Loki began to rise, and he could not help the bitter sound in his voice as he bowed his head, "As you wish, my king." He stood fully, murmuring, "My dear Queen Jane," and had turned to walk from the hall when Thor spoke again.

"Peace is what Vedis would have wanted."

Jane squeaked, but Loki's only reaction was the jerk of his hands as he paused. Looking over his shoulder, his voice like flint, he warned, "I have pledged my fealty to you, Thor. I have accepted…embraced my role in your kingdom. And though we have forged a kind of peace between ourselves, I warn you, do not push me too far, brother."

Then he left, not bothering to wait for Thor's reply. The crowd in front of him parted, and the whispers grew, but Loki ignored those and their accompanying stares. He kept moving until he was outside of the hall and across the courtyard, only stopping when he saw the face of someone sympathetic to his feelings.

The warrior Sif, who had one time been so antagonistic toward him, was leaning against a marble railing that looked over the lights of the city below the palace. Her eyes were dark in the moonlight, but the knowing expression on the face turned toward him was of commiseration now, rather than of suspicion.

Loki hit his fists against the railing as he stopped next to her, and he glared down upon the lights as though their presence were an offense to the whole of his existence.

"You saw him, then?" she asked, and he made a sound that was a half curse, half snarl before spitting out, "See him? He had the nerve to approach the king's table to offer his regards for my return."

Sif's gaze darkened further. "I don't know what Thor is thinking, allowing his presence at court. Does he not understand that Valtur is not to be trusted? Does he dismiss the continuing raids on the lower countries…"

"All Thor speaks of is his need to make peace with the realms, despite the truth of what is happening on Asgard's borders. It is pathetic." Loki's knuckles were digging into the marble of the railing as he leaned onto it, and the leather and metal encasing him creaked. "He claims I am making this too personal." He paused and gave her a look before continuing, "And yet he is the one who dared mention Vedis and her forgiving nature. As though sentiment would blind me to Valtur's danger."

Her brow rose at the mention of the woman Loki had once thought to wed, and her tone grew ominous. "I know he is king and as such deservers my fealty, but it is Thor's own devotion to the Allfather that weakens us. Peace was Odin's great purpose, but never at the expense of Asgard. And as admirable was Vedis's ability to forgive, I somehow think even she would be not be so inclined if she still lived."

When he did not reply, Sif took a deep breath then, and broached, "And Hogun? Is he…"

"He remains in Ringsfjord."

The words were brusque, as though it were all he would say on the matter, but she pushed for more information. "Does he know of the dark elf presence at court? Has he communicated with Thor? The last time…"

"I know not of Hogun's mind. He keeps his own council," Loki bit out, impatient with her questions.

She gave him a look of reproach, and remembering that she had been his ally in the matter before them, his voice tempered. "I were to guess, I would hazard that if Hogun were aware of Valtur's presence, his loyalty to Thor is great enough to keep him away…for now. It would not be very diplomatic for one of the king's most devoted warriors and oldest friends to cut out the heart of an emissary from Svartalfheim."

Sif turned to stare back at the lights below. Loki pushed back from the railing after a moment, as though seeking a distraction, and his lips curled in a familiar pattern. "You have not yet mentioned the fact that Valtur brings your half-sister to court."

Her dark-blue eyes grew hard. "You more than anyone know that blood indicates lineage and little else. I have but one family now, and she is not in it."

"And yet she looks so like Birgitta," he continued, ignoring her, his want for wickedness bubbling to the surface, "despite the elven look about her. And when she dared to look at me, her eyes reminded me much of yours. Such a blistering glare…"

"Do not mock me about this, Laufeyson," she warned, her voice like ice, and her hand was hard on his shoulder as she pushed him back. "You yourself tried to tend to the dwarf's wounds, so you have seen the scars that still pain him. Do not speak to me of her."

The look on her face stilled the instinctive rebuke that rose at her uninvited touch. "Sorry," he offered instead, taking one slow step away. "I suppose I should also know well how the sins of fathers are visited on their offspring."

Sif grunted, still angry. "She earned her sins by her own hand. Anyone who would inflict such pain is abhorrent to me, no matter how thick their blood runs with mine."

"I was jesting, Lady Sif," Loki said, and he raised his hands as though in supplication. "As is my nature, especially when I am in a foul mood. You should know that by now".

She rolled her eyes, but her shoulders relaxed.

"And…really, you would have enjoyed it if you'd seen it," he continued, trying to lighten both of their moods. "Valtur was dripping mockery, despite his honeyed words, while your…" At her look, Loki amended, "While _his_ daughter glowered and refused to speak, even when Jane tried to draw her out with compliments. So I asked if he'd cut out her tongue too. I assure you, if they were allowed weapons, between the two of them—and, Thor, actually—I'd probably be without my own tongue right now."

Her smirk was reluctant, but it was there, and his eyes gleamed as he added, "I almost asked to see her hands, in case she'd been pilfering again…but the look on Thor's face… I contented myself with counting the fruit to ensure it wasn't stolen." His smile faded, then, and his voice grew grim again. "Valtur wanted to make his presence known to me. He was testing which way the wind blows by approaching the table. And I admit his presence here tears at me; I am torn between staying at court or returning to the borders. I have been too long away from my lands, yet it may be in their interest that I stay close to our enemy."'

"I'm glad to see you returned here," Sif said, and she looked around as though afraid of spying ears. "Valtur's guards are sometimes absent from court for days at a time, doing I know not what, and Thor will not allow us to question him. And _she _skulks around the palace at odd times, as do others in their party. The servants talk of things disappearing from their masters' coin purses, of jewels missing. You must watch them, as only you can, Loki."

"So now my tricks can be of use? And here I thought brute strength was considered…"

"Stop," she hissed, scowling at the bitter tone entering his voice. "Now is not the time to bring up old offenses. You are the only one who can help. They scheme. I know it, but…"

"…but you have no proof," Loki finished. "A sad tale I am all too familiar with."

The sound of laughter rang out over them, causing them to quiet. They stood silently, watching as a group of warriors drunk with mead rambled past them When they were gone, Loki murmured, "I will find out what is afoot, rest assured. And as loath as I am to have him at court, his proximity is probably useful if I am to uncover his plots."

"And when you find out?"

He thought of Vedis, and then of Hogun languishing in his cottage in the woods; and his lips quirked and a brief laugh escaped. When he finally spoke, his eyes gleamed with malevolence, and his voice was filled with warmth, as though he enjoying the thought of a long-denied treat.

Why, sins must be atoned for. Offenses will be repaid to those who are owed. A penance must be given in full…even if death is in the paying of it."

A small smile touched Sif's lips. "As much as it would have shocked me at one time to feel this, I am thankful you are on Asgard's side, Loki. You…and your tricks."

Loki was staring at the lights below again, his expression dark, and when he did not speak, Sif did not press him for more answers.

….

A boy.

After all of the drunk and desperate men he had paraded before her, her father would have her wed to a boy.

Asrior watched as Pauulus Jerrikson, who was said to be eighteen but who looked younger, raised his goblet of mead to his lips and warily touched the golden liquid with his tongue.

When he made a face, Asrior asked, "Did you not partake of mead in Nornheim?"

He looked startled at the sound, but she guessed that was because she had spoken so little since his formal introduction to her.

In truth, she'd been shocked into silence when she first saw him. When she'd followed her father into the room where she was to become formally betrothed just that morning, the first person she saw was a towering man whose shaggy beard rested upon a rotund stomach. His face was round and florid, his meaty lips stretched into a simper, and he wore a long red velvet cape that he swept aside as he bowed his head at their approach.

She dropped into a curtsey, and when she noticed the look of hunger in his eyes as he leered at her, it took everything to keep her face free of the ensuing revulsion she felt at the thought of lying with him.

"She will give me good grandsons, Valtur," he said, and such was the feeling of revolt in her stomach that it took a moment for the words to register.

But the man was flourishing his cape again, and looking to the side as he said, "My son, Pauulus. My youngest."

It was only then that she noticed the mouse-looking boy standing to the side of him. Small for an Asgardian, he looked as though he stood barely a half a head taller than herself. Where his father was ruddy with sun and use, he was pallid and beardless, with pale brown hair and eyes. His gaze was bashful, too, and he was trying very hard not stare at her ears.

His voice shook slightly as he bowed his own head and said, "It is my pleasure, my lord. My lady."

She was barely able to whisper her own greeting.

And tonight at the banquet table the boy she had promised to marry when she signed the contract was still staring…at the vast and gilded hall, at the king, who sat at a magnificent table to their right, at the mounds of food on the tables, and the beautifully dressed crowd around them. She must have looked much the same when she first journeyed to Asgard as a child.

But when she spoke, he turned his pale brown eyes to her, surprised. "Excuse me? Did you say something?"

"I asked if you had ever…" she began, and then stopped, deciding to hold her tongue. She would have to be near him through the course of the betrothal, and he might even an ally in finding what she needed to escape. So instead, she asked, "What is your home like in Nornheim? What is it like where you live?"

"Oh, it is very grand. Nothing like the royal palace, but most comfortable," Pauulus assured her, relaxing a little. "It belonged to my mother's family, and it was built in her father's time. But my father has made many improvements."

Asrior nodded and tried to form a pleasant look on her normally-stern face. "It sounds very nice."

"Oh, it is more than nice. The stables are magnificent, as is my father's horseflesh," he said, looking relieved at her interest, and Asrior had to hide the shudder of fear that ran through her at the thought of such animals. "Though I am not the best of riders, I enjoy the freedom a horse gives me."

"Why is that?"

"The truth is I venture rarely inside. I am often found in the wood or in the fields that make up our land. I am quite fond of nature." He paused, and looked self-conscious as he admitted, "Jerrik does not like that I am not as strong as my brothers, or that I hold little interest for fighting. He thinks me weak. It is why he sought to join me with your house."

The admission surprised her, but before she could say anything, he asked, "What is Svartalfheim like? Is it green and vast like Asgard? I have heard tales, but..."

"No, it is not the same," she said when his voice trailed off into uncertainty. "It is almost always dark. The forests that are there are thick, and much of the land is rock and mineral. Some palaces are even built in the side of mountains or underground, so prevalent is stone"

"And your home? Is it built into a mountain? Is there any land around it?"

"Valtur's fortress is made of stone, but it is on top of a great hill, not in it. It is…not quite as comfortable as I think your home is."

"And the land around it? Is it rock or do trees grow? Describe it to me," he asked, looking both scared and eager at once. "Please. I need to know."

"There is a plateau that the fortress rests on. The hill itself is mostly barren. Little grass grows, and the rock is grey. The minerals in the rock sparkle when moonlight falls on it, though. It is the land's most redeeming feature." She paused, not knowing what else to say about the place she so detested, but he was listening eagerly, waiting for more. "I don't know about the plant life…a forest surrounds us, but for a road through it, it is said to be near impenetrable. I have never ventured into it. Why do you ask?"

"Well, we are to live there," he said, surprised at her question. "As I said, my father wants me…he wants me to toughen up, to learn to be a warrior. He believes that your father can succeed where he and my brothers failed."

Surprise flooded her, though Asrior told herself she should have known better. She knew that Valtur would not marry her to someone he could not control, so it should come as no shock that he would not let her live away from Svartalfheim.

She wondered if Pauulus and his father understood the methods Valtur would use to harden the boy. Turning slightly to watch Jerrik, she knew in her gut that he would not mind the truth of it. He sat thick as thieves with her father, his mead sloshing over his beard as laughed a crude joke someone was telling, and when he noticed her look, his laughter turned to an ill-concealed lust.

Asrior hastily looked away, disturbed at his attention. She still wore armor and dark clothing, her hair pulled back tightly, and while she knew she was not unpleasant to look upon, she was not dazzling like the brightly-dressed, smiling women that surrounded them. And she was nothing like the tall and graceful Lorelei, the goddess who had flitted between the two men all evening, her bronze-colored hair piled in curls upon her head, exposing her elegant neck, and bare shoulders, and a voluptuous bosom only half concealed by a shimmering white and gold gown.

And then her father was calling them over.

"Asrior! Pauulus…come!" He was standing, beckoning them over. Jerrik and the goddess stood as well, and when they approached, Valtur said, "There is a special troupe of entertainers for the king's guests from Midgard. How fortunate they arrive on the day of your betrothal. Let us go and watch."

The goddess Lorelei's sculpted eyebrows flew up at the mention of the arrangement, but she said nothing, instead taking Valtur's offered arm as they walked toward the middle of the hall. Pauulus gave Asrior a shy glance, offering his own arm, and they followed the first pair. Jerrik lumbered behind them, flourishing his robes of rich purple, and she could feel his eyes boring into her back.

Acrobats were setting up in the middle of the hall, and a crowd of onlookers surrounded them on three sides, leaving the fourth open to where the king's table sat so that the royal party had an unfettered view of the entertainment.

"They are glorious, aren't they?" Pauulus said in her ear, and Asrior saw that his gaze was turned to the king's entourage rather than the acrobats. "I feel almost unworthy to be in their presence."

Thor sat in the middle of the table, looking magnificent. A dark gold crown sat on his head, and long curling hair the color of sunlight lay against his shoulders. The queen was equally as breathtaking, her face glowing as she talked to the man next to her, one of the visitors from Midgard. He looked rather mild, dark wavy hair falling over face that bore a temperate expression.

But the Midgardian on the side of the king looked of Asgard—not his clothing, which was dark and odd-looking, or his hair, which was short, even his beard. He didn't have the height or bulk of this world, either, but the manner in which he held himself was as arrogant and superior as any of the gods he consorted with.

"I felt much the same way the first time I saw them," she said, distracted.

"When was that? I did not hear of your ki…of those of Svartalfheim being at court before."

"It was many years ago," she turned to look at him, explaining. "You were but a child then, as was I. I did not formally attend court, I merely accompanied my father to this realm."

"How old were you when you were here last?"

"I was fifteen."

And odd expression filtered over his face as he asked, "And were you…were you scared? Being among such exalted… I mean…"

"Yes. Quite terrified," she said in as kindly a voice as she could muster, for he looked so uncomfortable. He swallowed, suddenly looking ill, and Asrior put a hand on his arm. "What is it?"

"Tis nothing, my lady," he assured her, though it was obvious he was trying to still his nerves.

"Pauulus, tell me what is wrong. We are to be married, so we must be allies as we go on."

His whisper was strangled as he admitted, "I am but fourteen." At the look of shock on her face, he hastily added, "But I'll be fifteen soon. In a few months… You were at court then…"

Horror coursed through her, but she made haste to conceal it. Valtur was glancing at the pair every so often, a look of interest on his face at how their heads were together in conversation. She must be careful not to attract undo attention from him.

"This displeases you?" he asked, trying to look amused, and his voice filled with false bravado. "I can assure you, my father has instructed me most thoroughly on what is to happen in our chambers once we are wed. My age will not be a hindrance there."

Her heart was beating so wildly that she scarcely heard him. It would not do. He was not even a boy, he was a _child_, and even though she planned to be gone well before any marriage could take place, having him anywhere near Valtur's influence was evil.

Years at her father's side trained her well, though, for she took control of herself and managed to sound sincere when she said, "I am sure we will manage fine." And she squeezed his arm and drew his attention back to the king's table, trying to distract him so she could think.

"Look at how the one of the king's side sits. He has the look of royalty. Is he a king of Midgard?"

"It is said that he is a man of iron," Pauulus confided, watching them as well.

"Iron?" Asrior's heart leapt, and she took a keener interest in the visitor, who was talking with great animation, his hands moving in front of him as he described something to a rapt Thor. "He does not look like he is made of iron to me. Has he iron weapons?"

Pauulus shrugged. "I don't know. My father heard tale of a metal heart."

Apparently, the man spoke with great humor, for the king laughed loudly and clapped him on the shoulders after a moment, and then leaned over to look at the God of Mischief and Lies, who sat on the other side of their guest.

Loki was straight ahead, his chin resting on his fingers, as though he were determinedly ignoring the others at the table. When the man of iron jostled him with an elbow, grinning, a look of such displeasure crossed the god's face that she half expected him to strike out. The Midgardian noticed as well, and laughed openly before taking a deep drink from his goblet.

Then music began playing so that the performance could begin, and the crowd quieted. Asrior, tearing her eyes from the king's table, paid little attention as the acrobats began to move. Her thoughts turned back to the circumstances, and after a quick glance showed both her father and Jerrik whispering something to Lorelei, she took the opportunity to look discreetly around the hall.

Her eyes darted around the crowd, searching until they found the person she looked for. Sif stood at the end of the hall, alone, and Asrior let her eyes rest on her as her mind raced. If the warrior noticed her sister's gaze, she did not show it, for she continued to stare ahead at nothing, much as Loki had done.

Judging by the "Oooooohhh," that rose from the crowd, the acrobats did something exciting, and Pauluus was spilling mead as he tried to clap. Taking the goblet from him before she was soaked, Asrior stepped back slightly and tried to marshal her thoughts.

Maybe she could slip away through the crowd and simply walk up to Sif. She'd been trying to find out Kagoq's location since her arrival in Asgard, had eavesdropped from hidden spaces even as she'd stolen coins and jewels and the bits of iron she needed once she left. For one desperate moment, Asrior thought she might simply ask her sister where the dwarf now lived.

She almost laughed at the delusion, given what she'd overheard of Sif's hatred for dark elves and her protective nature regarding Kagoq. Still, Asrior backed up a little more and looked around to see if a path were open in the crowd. But it was packed, the air hot with the crush of bodies, and din of the voices growing loud again despite the performance. Two women to the side were staring at her, their hands covering their mouths as they gossiped, and behind her, someone hissed, "I don't know what Jerrik is thinking, getting so involved with dark elf scum…"

"He's not thinking," another voice tittered, "at least, not with the head on his shoulders."

"Lorelei, I can see, she will bed anyone, but…"

"Asrior."

A hand was on her arm, and she looked up, startled, expecting her father to pull her back toward him.

But it was Jerrik who held her, his other hand reaching upward to her face. It was rough and calloused against her check, and when he bent down to speak, his breath was sour with an overabundance of mead.

"You are flushed, my dear." The hand on her face moved, slowly tracing a path along her skin, and he continued in a low, slippery voice. "And you skin burns. Would you like me to take you somewhere away from the crowd? To cool off?"

"No…" she began, wanting to jerk away from his touch, but she took a sip of the mead instead in hopes of making him move. "I'm actually…"

Someone bumped into her, jostling the hand away from her face, and mead spilled over her armor. Asrior automatically looked down to wipe the excess away, and over her head someone spoke.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. Do forgive me. I'm afraid I was so focused on the night's entertainment that I find myself lacking my usual grace."

The amused sound of Loki Laufeyson's voice had her head snapping up, and her hand wiping at the liquid stilled. The god was smiling down at her, though the eyes that gleamed above his knifelike cheekbones were focused on the man in front of them.

"You're quite forgiven, my lord, I'm sure," Jerrik said something, the words pleasant and his tone clearly aggrieved. Asrior turned to look toward the king's table, where the god beside her had been sitting just moments before. The crowd was too thick from this vantage point, and she couldn't see. How had he moved so quickly?

"Loki! How good to see you returned," a woman was saying, pulling Asrior's attention back. Lorelei was there, with her father, and as a hand with red-painted nails slid up Valtur's armored arm, she purred, "My gracious lord of Svaralfheim is celebrating. Have you heard the good news?"

"Good news?" The god's lips eyes glittered as he turned his attention to her. "Pray tell."

Valtur smiled, thought it sounded like a challenge when he answered, "I am joining my house with the House of Jerrik of Asgard. My daughter's betrothal was formalized just today."

Loki's eyes slid to Jerrik, then. "Am I to offer my felicitations? I had heard you were looking to wed now that your wife has been gone these ten years."

Lorelei was still stroking Valtur's arm, but her rich brown eyes were moving from man to man as though she were watching a highly enjoyable sporting event.

"You may offer such, but do so to my son." Jerrik was pulling a nervous Pauulus forward. "It is he who is to wed tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

Both Asrior and Loki spoke the word in unison, though no one noticed the shocked rasp torn from her throat over the sound of his louder question. His silken voice had sharpened as he spoke, and when he looked over at Valtur, it was obvious his interest was deeper than social niceness.

"Though things may differ in Svartalfheim, betrothals on Asgard usually last for much longer than a day." The god looked from Valtur to Jerrick, probing. "Is there a reason for haste?"

Her father answered, a smile playing over his face at Loki's puzzlement. "I have been too long from my realm and my land, and my attention is needed there, a circumstance you are probably familiar with these days. Jerrik and his son were agreeable as the schedule fit their own needs."

The people around them were chattering, their voices rising as they openly speculated about the scene playing out. Asrior felt dizzy at the suddenness of the pronouncement, and thoughts battled in her mind at the news. She had thought to have more time. She still needed to find out Kagoq's location, and she wasn't sure if the money she had hidden would be enough to live on once she escaped. And the precious pieces of iron…

"I thought you acted as emissary from your realm," Loki was saying, watching the dark elf closely.

"The Queen Alflyse will send another," Valtur said, smirking. "I do not plan on returning to Asgard."

Asrior looked desperately around her, searching for help that she knew was not there. Sif had disappeared, and the Asgardians around her looked amused, as though these events were part of the night's fun. Her father and the god he challenged were too busy with the other to notice her, as it was when Kagoq's scars were discovered; and for the briefest of moments, she considered tearing the armor from her body and ripping the underdress open so that she could show her scars and hope someone would _see _and understand, and she could beg them to protect her and to please not let the child she was to marry be laid ruin by Valtur as well.

But her father would stop her before the first piece of armor hit the floor.

Suppressing the hysteria rising in her, she thought that there was a chance she could sneak out before her father woke in the morning, and if she made it to the library… She just needed a map, too, and she could find a place of iron hills to think her next move.

"We leave at first light," Valtur was saying, and it was clear he was done toying with Loki. "It may be a while before we meet again, if ever…my old friend. So I bid you farewell." He turned then, and commanded, "Asrior, come with me. It grows late, and you must be rested for tomorrow."

Her heart in her throat, she made her decision.

"No."

If she weren't so terrified, Asrior probably would have laughed at the suddenness in which the nattering crowd went silent.

"I'm sorry…what was that? Daughter?"

Valtur's eyes were slits, and the goddess Lorelei's mouth had dropped open.

"She is simply enjoying the festivities and does not wish to leave," Jerrik said hastily, as through smoothing things over, and she felt his hand on her arm again.

Jerking it away, Asrior took a long drink of the mead still held in her hands, trying to still the nerves that threatened to undo her. She had spoken with little thought beyond delaying a return to Svartalfheim, and though she would pay dearly for it, it had to be done.

"I meant that I will not marry your son tomorrow. The festivities do not concern me one way or the other."

Though her eyes were defiant, her voice was calm, belying the racing of her heart.

"What is the meaning of this?" Her father was in front of her, his voice low and filled with warning. "You act unlike yourself, Asrior."

She took another gulp of the mead before answering. "I had thought the betrothal would be of longer duration, seeing Pauulus is yet a child. I will not marry a boy of fourteen."

As quickly as it had fallen silent, the crowd noise rose again.

Beside her, Jerrik growled something at her father, who in turn moved to take her by the shoulders. She jerked back from him, ignored whatever words he was hissing, and looked around.

"Where can I get another?" she asked, indicating her now empty goblet, and when her father's hand fell upon her again, she glared up at him, snapping, "What? You dare try to wed me to a child?" She looked at Pauulus, who stood nearby with such a look of shock on his face that it was almost comical, and when she spoke, her voice dripped with contempt. "Will I be expected to tuck him in on our wedding night? Read him a bedtime story? Will he even know what to do, or shall I have to draw pictures for him?" Someone laughed shrilly, and Asrior sniffed, as though bored. "I assure you, I will find him most inadequate as a husband."

"She goes too far, Valtur!" Jerrik snarled, and he hit a fist into his other palm. "I think we can consider our agreement void if you cannot control…"

"What is the meaning of this? What goes on here?"

The crowd parted as the king approached and the voices fell once again.

"Nothing, my lord," Valtur was saying, bowing low. "My daughter partook of too much mead. It is my fault for failing to keep an eye on her."

Asrior barely noticed Thor's approach such was her fear, and when father tore the goblet from her fingers, she did not protest.

"If you will please excuse us, my most gracious king. And accept my apologies, Jerrik. I shall be with you in haste to make amends." His voice turned from oily to grim when he addressed her. "Come with me, Asrior."

His hand was on her shoulder, pulling her away quickly from the crowd. He did not speak after that, and she stayed silent as well, choosing to brace herself for what was to come rather than protest any more. She was treading a fine line, and she needed to ensure she did not push her father too far.

The crowd parted, and Asrior vaguely noticed Lorelei standing to the side with Loki, who bore a look of intense calculation on his face as he slid the side of a finger along his lips. But they did not matter, for their thoughts were on their own interests, and Asrior had to think of her next moves.

She knew the reckoning would be worse than she had had before in Asgard, such was her transgressions, and as they made their way to the chambers in an outbuilding of the palace, she steeled her heart. It had to be done, she repeated to herself. She had to endure it, not just tonight, but the day after. It was the only way.

_Be brave._

When they reached their chambers, Valtur pushed her into her room, only then removing his hand from her, and when he did so, he growled for her to take off her armor.

Her hands shaking, she did as she was bid. To defy him now would bring about worse punishment, and too much of the whip would made movement tomorrow impossible. So she dropped each piece onto the ground, one by one, turning when she was done so that her back was to him.

"Put your hands up on the bedpost."

Again, she did as she was told, raising her arms above her head and resting her wrists on the wood, standing still, waiting for the feel of the leather binding her to the post. And when he began to wrap the leather cord around her wrists, he chanted a brief spell, making sure that she would be unable to loosen the knot. His final act as he stepped back was to rip the silk of her dress, exposing her back to him.

Asrior did not make a sound beyond a gasp when the whip hit, though her weak leg would not stop shaking, even when it was over. She bit her lips until they bled, and fell against the post, breathing heavily. But she did not cry out through any of the three strikes against her flesh. And when he was finished, she heard him leave, heard the click of the lock on the door even through the haze of pain she had taught herself to withstand these past years.

She leaned against the post for what felt like an eternity, her mind delving deeply into the memories she hid and used when she needed comfort—a song her mother would sing during the midwinter holiday. The misshapen doll Birgitta had sewn as a surprise, the red yard that made up its hair near the color of hers. Kagoq patiently holding her hand after a bad dream and telling her a ridiculous story about a troll who kept trying, with little success, to woo a light elf of Alfheim.

Then she imagined the future, where she would live without fear or pain. There would be a house where roses twined with ivy on the walls, and a bounty of flowers and fruit would grow beneath cloudless blue skies. Warm lights would shine within the house as the sun sank into stars, and she would keep animals and make a pond for fish and buy as many books as she wanted. And Kagoq would live there, and they would be able to spend their days as they wished. They would live in peace with their neighbors. They would be safe. They would be free.

At some point, she heard her father return to the main room, this time with company; a woman—Lorelei, most like—and the pair did little to disguise the sound of their eventual rutting. More time passed before the woman finally went away, but when she did, her father unlocked Asrior's door, surprising her, for he usually left her standing in pain for longer.

But he had no intention of letting her loose.

When Valtur entered her room, she heard him moving and then the sound of a small creak and then he was rummaging through something; Asrior's heart moved to her throat even before he threw something to the bed and she heard the jangle of coin hit upon the bed sheets.

"You thought you could hide that from me?" He asked, sounding amused, and he sat on the mattress beside the little bag of money she had scrapped together. "Did you think to use this to run away? To escape if I choose a husband not to your liking?"

It was hard to focus on him, such was her pain, but she tried to look him in the eyes, unwilling to cower even though speech was impossible.

He laughed softly, continuing, "Whatever your plans, daughter, they do not matter. I have managed to reach another agreement with Jerrik, no thanks to your insults. You know, he thought to wed you himself when he first approached me, but I insisted upon the son; it would have been nice to have such insurance with us on Svartalheim." He stood again, taking the bag with him. "Thanks to your unbridled tongue, I have had to sweeten his monetary prize, and offer you as well. So you will wed Jerrik in a few days' time, not the boy, as soon as the contract can be amended. And he will not need pictures on your wedding night if you are so concerned."

Bile rose again, but Asrior pushed it back, instead squeezing her eyes shut.

Valtur was moving back toward the door, shaking her little bag of coins. "I almost forgot…Jerrik has agreed to send you back to me as soon as he tires of you. You see, he only really needs my money. He has no real need for a wife or more sons, he simply desires to bed you. And as he was most aggrieved at the embarrassment you caused him by so publicly revealing his deception, I suggest that you gird yourself for the event. He will not be gentle."

And she heard the knob of the door twist and the heavy wood lurch open, and then a pause before her father mused, "Remember Asrior, you will always, in the end, belong to me."

She did not make a sound until the door closed and the lock clicked. It was only when she heard him leave the outer chamber that she began hissing softly through her teeth, giving in a little to the knifelike sting coursing down her back.

She could endure it, she told herself, for the reward would be worth the pain; and she replayed a mantra in her mind:

_Be strong. Be strong. Be strong._

_Be brave._

Enduring was the only way, for the time for planning was over. The time to act had begun.


	3. Chapter 2-are paid for by their children

A/N-Thank you for reading! And please let me know what you think! Feedback helps...good or bad, it's always useful.

And these are long chapters...the next few are a *little* shorter, I promise (though some of you might not mind the length, :) ). Chapters will get more compact, but for now, there's a bit of story to tell to allow the plot to flow later.

For now, we get a bit more of Stark and a whole lot of Loki. Enjoy ;).

Thanks to guineamania for being my beta!

* * *

**Chapter 2—…are paid for by their children.  
**

The sun was high in the window when Valtur came back into the room and let loose Asrior's wrists. A purple line channeled deep in the skin where she had hung against the leather binding, and her frozen muscles throbbed as she tried to move.

Asrior managed to shuffle sideways and collapse onto the bed, and when she moaned, her father snorted somewhere above her. "Yes, I thought as much. I suppose you will be of little use for days."

He moved back to the door that led to the outer chamber, still talking. "It is of no matter. The goddess Lorelei has invited me to sup with her at one of the high tables this evening, and I would rather not have to keep an eye on you while I am there. I'm seeing Jerrik as well to discuss the contract alterations. Your actions are costing me a great deal, Asrior; I suggest you hope my temper cools before your husband sends you back to me."

The door clicked then, the lock turning, and she knew he would not be back until the next day.

Asrior lay still for hours after he left, but she did not dwell on the knifelike stinging of the newest scars. Instead, she readied herself for what was to come, closing her eyes and remembering, humming the low and slow tune Kagoq used to sing to her when she needed soothing.

When the room dimmed and the stars began to show their softer light, she finally moved.

Pushing herself up from the bed, ignoring the anguish of her newest wounds with gritted teeth, Asrior walked determinedly to her bath chamber. There, she slowly pushed her damaged gown down her body and stepped out of it, and then began to fill the sink with water. With a cloth, she washed herself as best she could, first her face and then her body, and then, holding a towel loosely around her shoulders, she lit the room's torches and then moved slowly to the wardrobe.

It took an eon to get dressed and attend to her hair, so careful were her movements; but eventually, she stood in front of a mirror, inspecting her appearance.

Other than an abnormally pale face and eyes that looked darker than usual, Asrior saw no difference in how she usually presented at court. Her hair was still in the previous night's style, smoothed out carefully, stray strands tucked into the braids that twisted at her neck. Her dress was a grey so dark it was almost black, and if the armor against her back drew blood from still-scabbing wounds, the dark color of the silk beneath would hide it. If any saw her when she left, her appearance would not be amiss.

The sky was black by the time she was finished, and she knew the banquet would be fully underway. So she moved toward her wardrobe again and took out a small jewelry case. There was little in it that would be of use to her, ribbons and black metal trinkets studded with the minerals of Svartalheim; but Asrior removed the golden chain that had belonged to her mother and placed it carefully in a pocket before attaching a cloak to her armor so that it hung down her back like a veil.

Then she carefully lifted the cloak, slowing pulling it up until she held the bottom; and she slid her fingers along the hem until she reached the corner, where thread had unraveled to reveal a small hole. She could feel metal through the heavy material, and, gently, so as not to tear the cloth further, she began to push the key hidden in the cloak's hem through the hole. When the enough of the key's head was sticking out, she pulled it from its hiding place and walked to her chamber door.

She hoped the chambermaid she'd stolen it from had not been punished too harshly for losing it.

Then she left, walking through the outer chamber and onto the breezeway that led from the outbuilding to the palace. The night was warm and the air fragrant, but her attention was on more practical matters.

As Asrior walked toward the palace entrance, she watched for others; few were out, and though she could see a handful of people milling on the courtyard to the side of her, the breezeway was clear. When she entered the palace, she turned away from the corridor that led to the banquet hall, moving down another instead. From there, she found a stairwell, and from there, a maze of more walkways, and other than servants, she passed no one.

When she finally reached the library, she didn't pause, for an attendant worked near the door, looking at a list and muttering. Before they could take stock of who had walked in, Asrior slid between the rows of bookshelves to the left of the door, following a familiar path and not stopping until she was in the secluded corner she had visited just a few days before.

The corner she stood in was shrouded in shadow, for the nearest torch was half blocked by one of the library's tall shelves. She waited there, sheltered by the dimness. Her face was lined with a sheen of sweat, and her eyes closed as she breathed slowly and deeply to assuage the pain in her back.

After a time had passed, when she was sure no one lurked nearby, Asrior turned to one of the shelves close to her. Her fingers traced the titles of the leather book on a shoulder-high shelf until she came to the one which she searched for.

It was smaller than the rest, the little book about the history of dark elf magic, and when she found it, she carefully counted the next five books to the right, and then lifted her hand to the book exactly above, one shelf higher, a bulky brown-leather manual about the elven myths. She gripped the larger book and pulled it slowly down, ignoring how her weak leg began to shake.

Carefully, she cradled it against her with one hand, and, lifting herself on tiptoe, she used the other to reach back into the opening she'd created. Her armor dug into the freshly laid scars, and she pressed her lips together as she felt around in the small space; she didn't realize how tightly her stomach was clenched until her fingers fell upon the silk hidden behind the book she'd taken out, but when she grasped the silken bag and carefully pulled it out, a wave of such relief swept over her that it was hard to stand.

She was overjoyed at the familiar weight of coin and jewels and iron in the bag, and moving with as must haste as her wounds allowed, Asrior slid the book of myths back into its place and opened up her treasure to take stock. She wasn't sure if the items inside would be enough to keep her hidden for as long as needed, but given Valtur's discovery of her most recent scavenging it would have to do.

Asrior placed the bag into the pocket with her mother's chain and found the book about dark elf magic again, pulling it out and opening it to a familiar spot; and as quietly as possible, she ripped out three pages, carefully folded them, and placed them with the other items she'd secreted away.

Then, after placing the book back, she moved again, this time stealing slowly through the rows until she was on the opposite side of the vast room, near where the atlases were kept. She was not as familiar with this portion of the library, so her movements were less sure. But the maps of the Asgardian continent were just around the corner…

"…not sure how long you and Xena here plan on having study hour, but I'm getting a little hungry."

Asrior stopped dead in her tracks at the man's voice, her heart hammering again; a quick glance showed that there was no one in the aisle she was in, but the sound was close by.

"You're the one who insisted upon coming with us. If you wish to berate someone, I suggest you look no farther than into the nearest mirror." She almost squeaked when the unmistakable sound of Loki Laufeyson's voice floated over her. "Now, if you please…"

The voices didn't sound as though they were moving, but the God of Lies and Mischief was too close, and she couldn't risk being seen by someone so willing to goad Valtur. So Asrior put one foot back as the first man grumped, "I just wanted to look up the ionization energies of your metals versus ours on Earth. I didn't realize the field trip came with an in-depth lesson on the geography of Asgard as well." He sighed, and then asked, hopeful, "Hey, does your library come with a bar? Because mine at home does."

Papers rustled, and someone snarled, and the man continued, "No matter. Something in the alcohol here makes me bloat anyway."

She'd taken another step back when the sound of something solid hit the shelf to her left; and then one of the books on her side of the aisle jutted forward, as though someone were pushing it from behind. Then something else clicked on the shelf, and the man moaned, "Oh, that's better…" and Asrior watched in horror as the book that had pushed out fell completely onto the floor with a loud thump.

Even though she saw it happen, the sound made her jump, and her heart seemed to stop. And just as Asrior was about to flee, ready to run if necessary, two people spoke at once.

"Do you mind?"

"Is he always like this?"

The sound of a woman's voice intermingled with Loki's snap caused her to pause, and the next words had her moving back toward them despite the risk.

"He is an insufferable ass, Sif. Try ignor…"

"Hey, I resemble that remark…."

"…_ignoring him_. And tell me where you hid the dwarf."

"There are dwarves here? I could have sworn I saw a couple of elves last night. You know, I've always wanted to…"

"Tis not a game, Stark," Sif said, her sternness counterbalancing the other's levity. "Those elves that you speak of have a history of sending small sorties onto Asgard's outer countries, and many are dead because of them. They wreaked havoc on our borders leading to the war with Malekith, and after..."

Asrior inched forward until she reached the spot where the book had fallen, and, her heart in her throat, she moved so that she could peek through the small opening its absence created. Books on the other side of the shelf had been removed, giving her a narrow window.

"And?" The man from Midgard who looked of royalty stood on the other side of the shelf, and he was pulling something from his hand. "Thor told me all about that. It's when his mother died, right? And wasn't there a demon involved…Curse or something? So what happened after?"

"Nothing," Loki grunted; he appeared to be leaning over a table, his back to the shelves. "Until recently."

Asrior moved back just as the other man shoving something onto the shelf again, pushing more books back, and then he said, "I don't understand."

"Nor do we, not fully," Sif answered, and when she heard the Midgardian move away, Asrior risked looking again. The man called Stark was massaging his hands and wrists as he looked over Loki's shoulder, and she noticed that he had removed jewelry to place it on the shelf she was peering over, two bronze-colored bracelets and a large gold ring.

Sif was standing across from Loki, still talking. "The raids stopped after that war ended and the lower countries were peaceful for years. But they began again after the Allfather died—concentrated here and here…and here—and they have increased since Valtur entered this realm again."

Loki pushed back from the table, and though Asrior could not fully see him from her vantage point, she could hear the sound of his pacing.

"Who is Valtur?"

"An elf lord of Svartalfheim. The one you saw last night. We believe that he played a part in the earlier raids, before Malekith attacked Asgard," Sif answered.

"And you two," the man said, moving so that he blocker Asrior's view of Loki and her sister, "are trying to find a pattern to things. You think this Valtur is involved in the newest attacks?"

"Thor is unconvinced," Sif said in answer. "He thinks the attacks have increased because Valtur is away from Svartalfheim and others take advantage of his absence."

Loki growled with such intensity that Asrior moved back from her spot, an instinct to hide from him overtaking her, and she heard him grit out, "What is worse, it has been difficult tracking their movements on the borders. There are those on Asgard who help the dark elves. Some of our people hold little love for those who rule them…and some wish to rule themselves."

"And you would be an expert on that," the Midgardian began coolly, and at another vicious sound from Loki, his voice turned belligerent. "Oh, spare me the look. It's not like it's untrue. The Glowstick of Destiny ring a bell? The Chiauri? The wreck you made of Stark Tower, not to mention Manhattan and the hundreds of people…"

"I have repaid those crimes ten times over, suffered pain you cannot conceive of much less endure …" the god began, heated, and when the other man's voice rose to join him, Sif shouted, "Enough! Now is not the time to rehash old wounds."

She paused for a moment, and when the others didn't speak, continued, "Loki has served his sentence for those crimes, Stark. He has repented for his offenses against your realm and others…to the satisfaction of our laws and to that of the Midgardians you call S.H.I.E.L.D. And he has been forgiven by those he most wounded, including Thor, who you call friend."

There was silence for a second, and then the man of iron mumbled, "I'm sorry. It's just… it's just so interesting. It's like…Scooby and the gang meets Game of Thrones."

Asrior, who was standing as still as possible, debated leaving. The longer she stayed, the more she risked being caught eavesdropping, especially if the men kept arguing. One would storm away, and the route to the library entrance led past the aisle she skulked on; but they had mentioned Kagoq…

"If you insist upon staying, Stark, you can help by putting these away," Loki snapped, still sounding highly goaded.

After a moment more books slid from the shelf as the man called Stark shoved something onto it, but the group on the opposite side paid little attention to the sound.

"You're welcome," he answered, just as perturbed. "And, you know, I'm kinda considered a genius on Earth, so maybe I can do more than play file clerk for you. That is, if you're really serious about trying to solve this little mystery, Reindeer Games."

Sounding as though it pained him to speak, Loki ground out, "If you would like, you can look at these." Papers shifted on the table again. "The warrior Sif showed you where raids occurred, along these borders. I thought maybe the elves seek the dwarf…"

"Yeah, you keep mentioning a dwarf. Who exactly is he?"

Her decision made for her, Asrior moved to peek through the books again, wincing at the dig of armor as Sif explained, "He was a slave of Valtur's. He was rescued by us here in Asgard when Odin first tried to make peace with the dark elves after the war with Malekith. He had been tortured over many years, and he cannot communicate much; but when he heard of Valtur's return to this realm, he tried to run away from the village he lives in."

Asrior's heart leapt, and after a moment Stark mused, "Are you sure he tried to run away? Or was he running here?"

"If you are insinuating that he is in league with the dark elves," Sif began, her voice growing heated, but the Migardian interrupted, "No…no not at all. Not really. It's just…I imagine the need for revenge transcends all races."

Sif made a sound of understanding, but Loki, scoffing with impatience, said, "_If _he is what the elves seek and _if _he holds information of import, he should be under our watch…"

"He is safe where he is. He is guarded by a soldiers and moves among mining towns with enough iron to keep a legion of dark elves away. The mines of Nidvallier protect him for now."

A great rush of elation forced Asrior to bite her lips lest she make a sound; and she moved to rest her forehead against a shelf, her eyes closing as the almost-forgotten feeling of tears pricked her eyelids.

"It is not only the elves that worry me. Those in that land hold little fealty to our king. And what if the dwarf runs again?"

"Thor's own guards watch over him. Loki…"

The man from Midgard asked another question, and Asrior took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

Kagoq was in Asgard. The Midgardian was right, partially, in that her old protector had tried to come to the great city when he heard of their arrival. But not for revenge. He had tried to find her, to help her. She knew it with everything in her.

And now she knew where to find him. She would buy a ride to Preikk, a village that sat in the plains of Nidvallier; one could find transport to anywhere there, according to the library's reference books. And from there, she would discover which of the region's mining towns held iron and which was visited by king's men.

The others were still talking, shuffling more of the maps around, and Asrior moved to peek at them one last time to see if it was safe to leave. All three were gathered around the table, the man called Stark patting at his clothes as though searching for something and mumbling, "Does anyone have a pencil? Or do you use quills here?"

As she began to push back from the shelves to walk away, a glint of metal caught her eye. The ring belonging to the Midgardian balanced precariously on the edge of the shelf, pushed backwards when he had haphazardly shoved rolls of papers onto the other side. A look at the ground showed that one of the bracelets had fallen along with the books.

Asrior stared at the ring, thinking, and after a minute, listened carefully to the others; they were still talking amid the sound of more paper rustling. Holding her breath, she carefully lifted the ring from the shelf and then even more slowly reached for the bronze colored bracelet near to it. She moved back and held them in her palm; the ring was heavy, with a large exaggerated 'S' in center, the letter made of diamonds that glittered in the dim light of the aisle. It would fetch a large price on the black markets of Asgard, if one knew how to trade there.

Then she slowly bent her knees so that she could put her hand on the ground, careful not to shift in a way that forced her armor into her skin as she reached for the piece of jewelry on the floor.

Soon, both bracelets and the ring joined the chain in her pocket.

The voices were rising, as though the others were arguing. Asrior paid them little heed as she stood and began walking away, sliding through the library's aisles and out its doors. It crossed her mind as she left that it was somehow appropriate that the man from Midgard had helped her with his unbidden gift of metal, even if it wasn't the iron she'd first hoped to take from him.

….

"I'm sorry, gang…Scooby, but now it feels like we're going around in circles." Tony Stark said, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Or maybe it's the hunger. I never did get to eat."

"And a most glorious feast you missed. The roasted, suckling boar alone…" Volstagg began, only to pause when both Stark and Loki glared at him.

"You are correct," Loki said, looking back at the Midgardian as though the red-haired warrior had not spoken. "We're getting nowhere talking. The time has come for action."

"Yes, but of what kind?" asked Fandral, who had only recently entered the library with Volstagg. He was idly inspecting a row of books on the far side of the table. "Given Thor's reluctance on the matter, the situation calls for action of a…restrained nature."

"And you guys," Stark said, pointing to him and the other the assembled warriors, "are like bulls in a china shop."

Both Fandral and Volstagg's brows knit in confusion.

"Sorry. Like, what was it? Ah, right…bilge snipe at a banquet."

Volstagg bowed his head in acknowledgement. Fandral grinned, and then turned back to the shelf and pulled a book out, reading, "A Complete Illustrated Guide to Courting Rituals across the NineRealms." He opened the book and rifled through it, stopping on a rather graphic drawing. And then he shook his head and whistled. "Loki, with this kind of treasure it is no wonder you visit the library so often. You have been holding out on us."

The god in question, who had been trying to ignore the others, scoffed under his breath and stood up from the maps he had been staring at for hours; but it was Sif who spoke.

"Tis not the time to game, Fandral. Several farms were destroyed during the last raid, and the people there grow angry with our inability to protect them. Something must be done."

The golden-haired warrior placed the book back, looking abashed. "But what? Should we go to the borders, the elves will strike in villages where we are not. You notice they stay away from Hogun to avoid Thor's attention. And if Thor will thus not send enough soldiers…"

"Then we will have to act with care," Loki said in a tone that said the matter was final. "Obviously, some of us would attract more attention than others. I will find a way…"

"Loki, I know you have powers that we do not have; but while you can be two places at once, surely you cannot cover all the borders on your own," Volstagg said, looking doubtful.

"No, I cannot. I just need a little more time to think," he grumbled, frustrated, and he sighed heavily before he continued, "The hour grows late. I should find sustenance for our honored guest else I risk the wrath of my brother."

From his spot by the table, Stark let out a great moan of relief. "Thank you. Seriously . I'm so grateful that I won't even offer a pithy comeback."

The Midgardian rubbed his neck and moved to the shelf where he had deposited his jewelry earlier, and began shifting through the papers he had shoved there as well. Just as the god's attention went back to his own thoughts, Stark muttered, "Damn… Where in the hell…"

"Come, Volstagg," Sif was saying. "Let the attendant pick the maps up. We'll just make a mess of it too."

"I didn't make a mess," Stark said, sounding defensive. "I just…shoved everything off the other side."

Loki paid little attention, his eyes staring at nothing even as the others moved around him. His fingers lifted to his lips, and he pulled at them, thinking hard. How to have a presence on the borders without attracting attention? _He _could go, as Thor had given him rule of the lower countries, from Skornheim to Varenheim, and the three countries in between.

But he had focused his attention on Ringsfjord during that time, the country hardest hit by the dark elves' wars and the place that had been home to Vedis. And though the renewed incursions gave him reason, as ruler, to venture more into the other countries, they were so vast and the attacks so spread out that it would be impossible alone…

"Loki. Are you coming with us or staying here to brood?"

He looked up from his thoughts to where Sif and the two warriors stood.

"Sorry. Yes, let us go."

They began to walk toward the entrance, pausing at the aisle where Stark had moved to; the Midgardian was looking through a pile of books on the floor, still grumbling and cursing under his breath. "Pepper will _kill _me."

"What's wrong?" Sif asked, moving toward him. "You sound distressed."

"Nothing," Stark said, looking up, obviously trying not to sound worried. He stood from the position he had crouched in, saying, "Well, everything. I think I put those papers onto the other side of the shelf with a little too much…ah…vigor. I thought my things had fallen, but I can't find anything." He kicked a book over, as though looking under it.

"What did you lose?" Sif asked as she began looking on the ground as well, and as Loki strolled forward, Stark answered, "Two braclets, thin, dark gold. And a ring. A big one. Very ornate. My initial writ large on the front in diamonds." He threw a smirk at Loki. "You'd probably like it."

Ignoring the jab, the god turned to peer at the disorder on the shelf. He pushed a book to the side and tilted his head, looking though the small opening to the table he'd just stood at. "You've searched through here?"

"Yes," Stark said, irritated. "I've searched everywhere. Though all of that. Through the pile on the floor. Under the shelves…I don't see anything."

Loki stood still, his head still tilted, staring at the shelf.

"What is it?" Sif asked slowly, her eyes turning to him.

He shook his head. "Nothing…much," he muttered. The back of his neck was prickling, an insane thought nagging at him. "I just need to think." And then he looked at Stark, saying, "Come. We'll notify the library attendants and make sure they scour the area. We'll find your items."

"They can't be stolen…" he muttered darkly, kicking at another book. "The ring was a gift. And those bracelets… I should probably tell you…"

"What?" Loki's head snapped up, and his eyes narrowed.

"Well, they're kind of…" Stark began, looking flustered, and then admitted in a rush, "They're a part of my suit. A very… necessary…part of my suit."

Sif sounded shocked. "They're a weapon? But you've worn them everywhere. That is forbid…"

"Thor allowed it," Stark said, talking over her. "I wasn't breaking any laws."

"Of all the…" Loki began, growing annoyed. "Why in Hel did you take them off?"

"Because I didn't think they'd walk away," Stark countered, his own agitation evident. "I can't…"

"Stop." The god held up a hand, his lips thin with suppressed anger. "_If _they have 'walked away' as you put it, can you disable their use with your suit?"

The Midgardian was rubbing his jaw. "Maybe… But I'll need a few tools. And a sandwich. You do have sandwiches here? You know, two slices of bread. Meat. Cheese."

"What is the hold up?" Volstagg was calling from down the hall. "I grow hungry, and I thought I'd join our warrior of iron for a midevening supper."

"You have the right idea my friend." Stark turned to the red-bearded warrior with a quick smile, and then turned a frown back to Loki. "You can send food to my rooms? I think I'll be up for a while."

"You'll have what you wish. And I'll have the attendants scour the aisles in case they simply were lost."

"They weren't lost."

Stark's face was dark, and Loki nodded, his mind racing.

"I'll find them."

As the group began walked toward the library's exit, Sif looked at Loki and arched a brow. "What are you thinking?"

"It's nothing," he insisted, though his neck was still prickling. "I'll tell you later, after I think some more."

….

Later turned out to be the next morning, when the court's inner circle milled about a breakfast room.

Loki sat on a bench to the side, leaning back against the wall, ignoring the muted din of the assembled guests. His eyes were on Thor, who was on the other side of the room talking with the queen.

"Are you practicing new magic? You stare at our king so hard that it is like you try to control him with your mind."

There was a jolt as Volstagg fell onto the bench next to him, and keeping his eyes on his brother, Loki asked, "Don't you usually break your fast with that giant brood of yours? How many are there now? A dozen? Two?"

"Eight. Children, I mean, not dozen. And I dined with them earlier," the warrior mumbled through the sound of chewing. "This is but a small nosh."

A glance showed a plate piled high with food.

Arching a brow, Loki muttered, "Indeed." Before he could turn his attention back to his brother, the rotund warrior next to him kicked his boot.

He turned to snap at Volstagg for his uninvited touch, but the warrior was swallowing hard and chortling, "As a man of big appetites, I can be considered an expert, and in my expert opinion, _you_ are set to be the subject of a feast."

Loki's turned to look where Volstagg gazed.

The goddess Lorelei was heading toward him, her lips tugging into a voracious smile as she wove gracefully through the crowd.

Volstagg bit into a piece of roasted meat, saying, "Fandral was right, you have been holding out on us."

And, then she was there, murmuring, "Volstagg," and more warmly, "Loki," and she presented her hand for their attention.

The warrior quickly brushed the air above her hand before he turned his attention to his plate.

Loki, however, held onto her fingers and allowed his lips to linger on her skin, his pale green eyes holding hers. There was no doubt that Lorelei was beautiful, with dark eyes and bronze hair streaked with gold, and a figure that was legend on more than one realm. But he found her cloying, and her excessiveness annoyed him.

Still, she had longed lusted after him, and her desire to bed him made her useful.

Smiling warmly, the goddess sat down on Loki's other side.

"You will be most pleased with me, my lord," she said, a finger lifting to one of the curls that fell over her shoulder. She twisted is around a finger and regarded him through lowered lids. "I expect that Valtur will be in his chambers for much of the day, if I am correct. I only just left them myself."

Volstagg leaned forward to look at her as she spoke, his interest piqued. Loki waved a hand as though brushing her words aside, asking, "But what did you learn from him?"

Her lips pursed into a pout, and she too leaned forward to address Volstagg.

"Do you see how ungrateful he is? Here I am, sought after by legions, yet I use my talents to help our God of Mischief instead…by consorting with a dark elf, no less. And still, Loki insists upon pestering me over such details when I sacrifice so much for him."

The warrior took another bite and grumbled his accord, and she her answering sigh was filled with longing. "It would help if he were thankful, for I would so prefer a mate more worthy of my attentions."

Suppressing a sigh of impatience, Loki reached out and took the hand that twisted the curl. "Please forgive me, Lorelei," he murmured, his voice soft as silk as he drew her hand toward him, and he began stroking the top it with his thumb. "You do me a great service, and I apologize if I came across as taking you granted. I am forever in your debt. I can promise that when I return the favor, you will be most satisfied with the repayment."

The look she gave him was one of great hunger; he could see why Volstagg likened him to a feast.

That warrior, still chewing, continued to watch the other two, but Loki ignored him and moved so that he blocked his view, and he pressed her hand between both of his.

"Still," he said, his voice growing so soft she had to lean closer to hear him, "It is of utmost import that I know of his plans. If he told you anything of interest—beyond the extent of your beauty, of course—the knowledge will help me greatly. And it will make me even more beholden to you, my lady."

He lifted her hand to his lips as he finished, brushing it again with his mouth.

"He was most aggrieved at the scene his daughter made the other night," she breathed, and he smiled against her hand before turning it over to place his lips upon her wrist. She sighed deeply, and continued, "He seeks to tie her to Jerrik now instead of the boy, and our good Asgardian lord is driving a hard bargain. He demands much more than the original agreement, and though Valtur protests at his ill use, he has agreed to the new demands."

Loki lifted his head and smiled. "So our friend seems set upon a union with Jerrik's house. You continue to be of such help, Lorelei."

He was stroking the inside of her arm with practiced fingers, and she gave him a knowing look. "You toy with me. When will you give me what…"

But her words were interrupted by a commotion near the entrance to the room.

A courtier had rushed in to stand before Thor, his hands moving excitedly as he spoke.

Loki let go of Lorelei's arm and watched intently as his brother's face shifted into a look of worry; Jane, standing next to him, threw her husband a look of great surprise.

Everyone in the room had turned to watch, and through their muted chatter, the courier clearly said, "...he is most enraged at his daughter's absence from her chamber when he awoke, and he insists that she had been taken…"

And then Valtur's voice was heard from the hallway, shouting his demands to see the king.

Snapping his eyes to the goddess next to him, his seductive manner dropped, Loki demanded, "Was she there when you were in the chambers last night?"

"What?" she asked, confusion writ on her face.

"His daughter. Valtur's. Was she in his rooms last night?"

"I don't know," she answered, her brow knit as she shook her head. "We had wine in his living quarters after the feast, and then went into his private rooms. He said she was in her chamber, that she was embarrassed after her scene the night before. But he never checked. I did not sleep, so I am sure of it."

"It may be that he is the one playing us for fools." Loki's face grew dark, and when Lorelei gave him a look of confusion, he explained, bitter, "No matter what part he has played in secreting his daughter away, we have given him an alibi for the night. I should have known better…"

She began to say something, but Thor was striding to the door that led to the hall beyond, calling for the elf lord to be given entrance.

Loki pushed the goddess, hissing, "Go! Attend to him and find out what is happening."

Lorelei nodded, standing and moving with swift gracefulness toward the door. She arrived at Thor's side just as Valtur entered. Such was the goddess's skill that she adopted a look of true concern, and the dark elf allowed her to grasp his arm as the king began talking. Loki watched intently, only looking away when his view was blocked and a shadow fell over him.

"What was she doing here? What's in the name of Valhalla is going on?"

He raised his eyes at Sif's question. The warrior was standing in front of him, Tony Stark at her side.

Volstagg chuckled. "Loki's evidently been studying that book Fandral found last night, that's what's going on."

Loki scowled and shushed him, and listened as Valur roared, "My daughter does not leave her chambers without my permission! I knew it was a danger, bringing her into Asgard, but I never dreamed someone would abduct her under my nose. I demand that every inch of the city be searched…and beyond…"

Thor was talking again, begging the elf lord to pay attention.

Standing, Loki kept his voice lowered as he asked Sif, "Who guards the dwarf?"

"I told you, a contingent from Thor's own men, but why?"

"I mean the captain?" he demanded. "I need his name."

"Brandr, son of Uldall. I don't…"

His voice grew more urgent as he spoke, "I must go to him. The dwarf must be moved immediately." Her eyes widened, and he asked, "The village in Nidvallier where you hid him. The name?"

"Sollstrand. In a minor fortress near the mines there. What…"

Loki bit back a curse, snarling, "And she has enough of our blood in her that the iron may not affect her. No wonder… _Damn_. I should have listened to my instincts last night. We have lost hours, and now he will send the king's men on a wild goose chase away from where she heads."

Stark gave him a sharp look. "Does this have to do with my things?"

Loki's didn't answer him, instead asking "You were able to fix the suit? The bracelets are disabled?"

Volstagg stood as well, his half-empty plate forgotten on the bench as Stark said, "I think so. What's going on?"

"I think the little thief that stole your things took some of our knowledge along with them. Both are dangerous in her hands" Loki's voice turned vicious. "I have made too many mistakes. I will not make another."

He looked around, his eyes falling on a door that led to the kitchens; and tilting his head in that direction, he ordered, "That way. We must leave without attracting Valtur's attention."

The group made their way through the crowd and ducked into the kitchens; and then Loki made his way to his own vast chambers, where he could have a measure of privacy so that he could make haste to transport himself to the fortress in the little mining village. There, he interrupted Brandr Uldallson at his own breakfast. It took time convincing the captain to move the dwarf, but soon enough, Loki was at the palace's stables, where Sif and the two warriors waited along with Stark.

After assurances to Sif and the others that he would be in touch as soon as he had news of Stark's things and the runaway elf, Loki was off, his great sorrel-hued horse thundering toward the road that led across the Asgard Mountains, and on toward the large village of Preikk in the Boiling Plain of Nideviller. It was most likely that the elf's passage to the regions mining villages would be taken from there, and it would take more than a day's hard ride to reach it.

He didn't dare travel using other methods, though, for the god was known to use his horse when visiting his own lands; the excuses he had given Thor for his departure were thin enough, Loki did not want to attract more attention to his absence by straying from his normal habits.

The sun sank and rose again, reaching midway in the sky by the time he made Priekk. But once there, he found news of the elf when word spread that the God of Mischief and Lies was seeking a lone female traveler who had recently searched for transport to the villages near iron mines.

Loki did not pretend that fealty to his brother or himself led to the quick uncovering, either, and if he had fooled himself with such notions, the coachman who brought her from the city of Asgard to Priekk would have dissuaded him soon enough.

"Yeah, a female rode with me, two nights ago. We arrived yesterday," the man said, spitting on the ground before looking up at Loki, one eye squinting in the brightness of the afternoon sun. "But I don't know about her hair. She wore a cloak with a hood. And she was on the inside of the carriage, I was outside driving the horses."

"And nothing about her peaked your curiosity?" he asked, watching as the driver moved to lean against the railing of the stable's paddock.

"Nah. Not paid to be curious," the man said, raising a hand to rub at his unshaven face. And he put a booted foot onto the lower railing, smirking. "I'm paid to bring passengers to and from Preikk and your great city. The girl's gold was as good as any."

His eyes narrowing, Loki asked, "Gold? She paid with coin? Coin of our realm?"

"Yes. More than enough. Tis a good thing, too, for the night was slow and she was my only passenger." The man spit again, and the eyes he turned to the god before him became speculative. His voice grew wheedling as he continued, "Though I wasn't paid to discard the things she left behind inside the carriage. It's a shame, travelers from the royal city taking advantage of us low-country people. I've children to feed, with another on the way."

Loki watched as the man began twisting his hands together, as though troubled, and he sighed with impatience at the show. "Bring me the items she left, and I will recompense you for your care of them."

The man's distressed demeanor dropped immediately, and he practically pranced into the stables; minutes later, he was back, dropping a brown sack onto the dirt at Loki's feet.

"There it is, my lord." And though he did not put his hand out for payment, his eyes were expectant.

"And how much would you get for the contents should you sell them on the black market?" Loki asked, not bothering to pick up the sack.

"My lord! I told you they were a burden to me! I would never condone such a nefarious trade as entering the black mar…"

He cut over the man's sham outrage and demanded, "A price."

The coachman dipped his head and mentioned an outrageous sum. Loki snorted. "What exactly is in the sack?"

"Metal. It looks like armor." The man eyed him, appraising Loki's own dress. "Not gold, like yours, my prince, so it might be worthless. Still, one never knows what such…unusual items will go for on the street."

"I thought you did not condone such trade," Loki murmured, finally bending to pick up the bag and open it. Armor as black as night lay inside, the breastplate that on top made for a petite woman.

"Oh, I don't." And he gave Loki a virtuous smile. "Tis my sister-in-law that trades on the black market. One cannot always help ones relatives."

"Mmmm, well, I suppose your…honesty…should be justly rewarded." Loki, pleased at the contents of the bag, dug inside his coat and then thrust a fistful of gold at the coachman. When the man's eyes widened at the largesse, he said, "Take it…for both your troubles and for any future aid you might give. If you catch sight or hear word of this woman—a woman with red hair, dark, like a deep sunset—if you hear of her in the coming days, send word to the warrior Sif in the city of Asgard. She will know where to find me, and I will ensure that you are justly rewarded."

"Yes, my great prince." The man sank into a low bow, and Loki asked. "Oh…where did this passenger go once she left your service?"

Shaking his head, the coachman conceded, "She did not tell me her final destination. She did not speak much at all, my lord. But anyone who comes through here looking for transport and who seeks to, ah, avoid undue attention–and that would be just about everyone—goes to the Bakgartn first rather than the main passenger depot. If I were you, I would visit there. Ask for Larson."

Loki allowed a smile. "You have been a great help." And he turned on his heel, ignoring the man's hopeful look, no doubt born by the want for more money.

He found the Bakgartn quickly enough, the sprawling wooden inn where travelers could find food or a bed or drink, but the lone man behind the bar there proved to be less cooperative than the coachman.

Stooped with age, his beard shaggy and grey and eyes belligerent, the barman glared at Loki when he sidled up to the counter and quietly asked, "Are you Larson?"

The man grunted and continued to stare.

Trying again, Loki again entreated, "I'm seeking to find a lone female traveler who arrived yesterday; she traveled overnight from the city of Asgard, and I was told you could help. Did such a woman come into here?"

"We have many females come through here. Tons. Everyday," the man muttered, and he turned his gaze to the pewter goblets he cleaned with a cloth. "Why should one of them stand out from the rest?"

"Because this one had red hair…"

"I'm color blind."

Gritting his teeth, Loki countered, "Because I can pay you well if you need to jog your memory."

He looked up, grinning at that. "Ah. And there it is. But you see, if I tell you what you want to hear and you pay me, why, then my pockets will be heavy for a few weeks." And he leaned onto the dark wood of the bar, locking his hard black eyes with Loki's green ones. "But after that, once word gets out I'm loose with information considered private, then my pockets will be out to let. No one'll trust me after that, and I might as well hang it all up then. So what benefit is it to me giving you what you want?"

Loki was about to tell Larson that as the God of Mischief—as a powerful, magical being—he could curse not only the man, but his children, and their children, but before he could open his mouth, the barkeep continued.

"See, I've dealt with your kind. I'm almost as old as the Allfather was, and you're not the first from the royal palace to seek information here over the ages. I've dealt with trolls. I've stared down fire demons from Hel. And, yes, I've dealt with your kind, too. So I've no doubt that you will threaten me, and you might even follow through with the threat. But you'll not get any information from my lips."

A heavily-robed man sitting further down the bar laughed and turned beady eyes onto the god, before banging his goblet on the wooden counter and calling for another drink.

"Now, if you want to order something, I can be of help. Otherwise, be on your way if you please. I've guests to tend to."

Pushing back from the bar, Loki scowled. "I'll be on my way, then." And he turned, heading out the bar in high temper.

It didn't matter, he told himself as he marched back to where his horse was stabled. He knew the area where Valtur's daughter journeyed to, but still… The boldness of the old man appalled him, and Loki had half a mind to go back and actually curse him. He was Loki of Asgard, a prince of the realm, and despite his vow to his brother be fair to their people… All needed was word of when she had left, what village she stayed in. Of anything else she might have said and instead the fellow dared…

He was stomping along an alley near the stable when a hand tugged on his coat.

Stopping abruptly, Loki turned to glare at the offending person. Expecting one of the weather-beaten peasants he'd seen lining the city's streets to be begging, he was surprised at the sight that met him.

A girl not ten years of age stood beside him, her fists moving to rest on her hips. She had the barkeep's dark eyes, though her hair was gold instead of grey, and at the look on Loki's face, she quirked an eyebrow. "What? I thought you wanted to know where the redheaded traveler went.

His lips thinned. "So that's Larson's game? Denouncing me in public and sending his brat out to pilfer my pockets?"

"You're the one who offered to pay," the girl said, a cheeky smile spreading across her face. "So do you want to know where the woman you seek went to or not?"

"She went to the villages near the iron mines to the southwest." He enjoyed her look of surprise, but only for a moment. He turned, muttering, "So you see, I don't need you at all." The girl began tugging on his coat again, but he continued walking, threatening, "Touch me again, and I'll turn you into a serpent."

She had the temerity to laugh at him. "If you do that, you won't find out exactly where I took her to. You see, she asked for lodging. And though the villages are many, they are not spread out. Word travels as swift as birds. Chance is, you'll inquire at the first inn and she'll get wind you're looking for her before you even step foot in the second."

He stopped and looked at the girl, his eyes slits. "Where is she?"

Unlike the coachman, the girl boldly held out a hand. "Pay, then I talk."

"Of all the…" Loki began, digging into his coat pocket and pulling out coins. "It is no wonder the lower countries sink into disrepair."

She snorted and the coins disappeared into her own pockets. "No thanks to the lords in the city, who are so willing to spend our taxes but so loathe to spend time here if there's not a battle to be waged." And when he looked at her expectantly, she muttered, "All right. Yesterday, a woman rode with me in my delivery cart to the villages near the iron mines, as you said. It was getting dark by the time we arrived, and when I asked if she needed lodging, she said…well, she didn't want a public inn."

The girl stopped, and Loki gritted, "And?"

Her hand moved out again, palm up, and the eyes that held his were remarkably composed.

"How do I know we seek the same woman? I do not want to waste my coins on a child's make believe stories," he said, goading her.

"She had red hair, like you seek," she began, and he interrupted, "Yes, but that information is public knowledge. And, if I may, it's convenient that you saw it, since she constantly wears a hood."

With a sigh heavy with impatience, the girl explained, "The wind was blowing fierce on the way there, and mine's an open cart. She had to hold the hood to get it stay up, but sometimes it got away from her. The cloak was pitch black and her eyes blue. She wasn't much taller than I am, and she spoke little." Then the girl smirked, and looked him up and down, her voice full of meaning, "But she was more polite than most that come through here. And she even smiled a little."

"Did she?" he asked, deliberately deepening his scowl.

"Yeah. She seemed glad to get to mines."

"Very well. It's the same girl." Loki dug into his pocket and drew out more coins, and placing them in her palm, asked, "Did you notice her ears?" The coins followed the others into the girl's pocket and she shook her head. He smirked, telling her, "Your polite and smiling passenger is a dark elf of Svartalfheim."

He expected the girl to look shocked, but she shrugged and said, "We get all kinds here."

His eyebrows flew up. "Were you alive during the war with them?"

The girl shrugged again. "I have heard what the dark elves did and still do. I'm also old enough to know that the gods cannot always be trusted either."

His patience running thin, Loki huffed and asked, "So where exactly does she stay?"

When the girl put out her hand again, he almost screamed with rage; but she looked him the eye, saying, "You're the one who paid me before I fully answered."

Coins changed hands again, and after her hand disappeared back into her pocket, he snarled, "Tell me."

"I took her to stay with my aunt who lives between the villages of Trond and Sollstrand. She is Geror and has in a white and brown cottage near the largest of the mines. My aunt is old and has a room for a border. The woman you seek stays there."

"How did she pay you? And don't bother putting your hand out again, you unpleasant child, for if you do so, I'll cut it off."

She chewed on her lip as she regarded him, as though wondering how far she could push the god before he acted. After a moment, she conceded, "I suppose you've paid enough. The lady had few coins, enough to get here there, but not enough to last for long. She mentioned losing much of her money, but she had some jewelry. I helped her sell it."

"Was there two bracelets? A gold ring? And don't lie to me, for I shall know if you do so."

"Yes. And more. They fetched a pretty sum."

He blew out a long breath, briefly wondering what poor souls in the city were missing jewelry, before asking, "Who bought her things? I mean to buy it back, not to make trouble."

Again she chewed on her lips, and just when he was about to say something rude at her reticence, the girl admitted, "The blacksmith next to the Bakgartn. I'd hurry if I were you. I think he meant to melt everything down."

Loki dipped his head in exaggerated gratitude, muttering, "Thank you…child. You have been a great help to me." Then the back of his neck prickled and his eyes narrowed. "You have an older sister who is married to a coachman, don't you?"

She smirked and curtseyed. "Yes. And my name is Larson, not child." And she turned and ran down the alley, disappearing around a corner before he could speak.

Turning on his heel to go back toward the rambling inn, Loki waged an internal debate. The ride to the mining villages would take much of the day, as they lay across Nideviller. After getting Stark's confounded bracelets back, should he ride without delay or take more time? The dwarf would have been gone by the time the elf reached the villages, so there was no danger in that regard. But to arrive too hard on her heels would make it obvious he chased her. To give her too much time risked her running again when she discovered the dwarf had gone.

He had made too many mistakes already. He did not want to risk making more.

In the end, and after getting the bracelets and ring—along with various other items—back from a hard-bargaining smithy, he decided to rest and to ride under cover of darkness. He needed time to transport himself and let Sif and the others know his progress. And, he told himself, he did not have to approach the elf once he was there; he merely needed to keep an eye on her, and his magical skills would allow him to inconspicuously observe her movements as he formed a more informed plan of action.

So he rode through the night instead, arriving at dawn at the old fortress that had once housed the dwarf. Loki conferred with the two palace guards who remained behind, and deciding that more rest could come later, he went in search of Valtur's daughter. It did not take long to find a brown and white cottage that sat near the largest mine near Sollstrand, and, discarding his corporeal form, he laid in wait for sight of the elf.

Though his ability to stay invisible was not infinite, it gave him enough time to catch sight of her that very day, when she exited the cottage wrapped in her cloak, pulling the hood over her hair as she did so.

He quietly followed as she walked along a path that led to a lake and met with another one that wound around it. He kept a safe distance as she walked the village of Trond, and when she entered the village's shops, he waited outside, unveiling himself momentarily as he hid in shadows, and he followed when she left the villages with her purchases held in a small bag.

She walked back to the spot where the path split from the lake to go to the cottage, but instead of taking it, the elf sat on the grass near the water's edge and pulled a book from the bag she carried. She stayed there for hours, reading and occasionally looking up from the book to gaze across the water. The old fortress in Sollstrand was visible from her vantage point, but it lay on the other side of the lake from Trond. Loki wondered if she would go there, but she simply read, eating an apple at one point, and then slowly rose as the sun began to lower to make her way back to the cottage.

The next day, she again appeared from the cottage, wrapped in her cloak, and she walked to the lake, this time taking the path that led toward Sollstrand. Again he followed as she wandered through the village, and when later returned to her spot where she read, she gave no indication that she knew the dwarf had recently been in the fortress there.

Over the days, her routine changed little. She would walk to one of the villages in the area and then back, spending time sitting by the lake reading an ever-changing assortment of books or watching the water in silence.

He still had no idea what part she played in her father's games; word from Sif was that Valtur remained at court, though he used his daughter's absence as an excuse to send parties of dark elves out across the lands in search of her. And she had not approached the fortress, though she must have discovered the dwarf's absence.

It occurred to Loki that she was waiting, but for what, he did not know. Maybe she thought the dwarf would return in time, or maybe she waited for word from her father on whether or not his plot had succeeded, or maybe it was both.

He had the king's men from the fortress ask discreet questions of the shopkeepers, but few remembered the hooded female who bought wares or borrowed books; so many visitors wandered in and out due to the nature of the mines that she managed to slip through their streets like a ghost.

So he watched her and studied her, for to know her well would strengthen his eventual plan.

He noticed that she wore her hood up when she ventured out, but she would pull the hood down when she sat by the lake; she kept her hair unbound under the hood, and it would spill over her shoulders and down her back as she read. Her hair fully covered her elven ears, and she would have looked fully of Asgard if it weren't for her countenance, which was stern and unyielding, much like her father's. And though her face was remarkably unexpressive, Loki realized that she was possessed of a great patience and self-possession. He wondered what thoughts, if any, hid behind Asrior of Svartalfheim's impassive eyes. He realized that she was accustomed to being alone.

And at some point, he realized that she expected to stay in the area for a time, and in her solitary existence was born an idea. A plan began to form, slowly as he watched her, and then with a growing feeling of assuredness.

He would make his presence known to her. The child of Valtur, she would undoubtedly distrust him at first, though Loki had no doubt of his power to persuade. He would simply have to tread gently. She was not like the goddess Lorelei, ready and willing to be seduced. His coaxing of Valtur's daughter would, by necessity, be more restrained and build gradually so that she was swayed before she realized what had happened.

And in the end, she would be his to use against her father, a tool to help bring about his downfall.

The irony of stealing one of Valtur's own possessions and using it against him was delicious—if he moved carefully enough, for he had already made too many mistakes. Loki swore he would not make another.


	4. Chapter 3-Persuasion

A/N - As always, thanks to my readers and reviewers and followers. Your feedback is what makes writing worth it, so please continue! Let me know how you like it...good or bad, input is always welcome.

To answer a few questions:

Kagoq is pronounced "kay gock". It's an Icelandic name (slightly modified) that just fit the character. Other characters already introduced (such as Asrior and Valtur) and those yet to be introduced have names that I spent a great deal of time researching. They are often drawn from old Norse names and usually have a meaning that fits their role in the story. Later on, I'll expand a bit more, including the awesome meaning of Asrior's name.

Also, it might be a while before Loki's eyes are opened regarding Asrior-who she really is and the life she has led with her father. Despite his 'reformation' and reconciliation with his family, he remains 1) quick tempered 2) extremely impulsive, and 3) still rather arrogant. As the blurb for the fic says, he will act out on his convictions before he really gets that he still has a lot to learn.

He'll learn...but it won't happen right away, which is too bad for Asrior in the short term.

In the long term, well...maybe it gets better. Really better :).

I probably will update once per week...though if I have a spurt of productivity combined with free time, that could increase to every four to five days or so. The story is very well plotted out, but sometimes putting actions to paper (or computer screen) takes time.

If you have questions or want to see me talk/complain/gush about how the fic is proceeding, I'm on tumblr at tigermcqueen (dot thingie) tumbler (dot thingie) com

Thanks to guineamania for being beta.

And, really, thanks for reading. This chapter's a wee bit shorter. I really and truly hope you enjoy it (and let me know what you think!).

* * *

**Chapter 3-Persuasion**

Life in the mining villages was as different from her life with her father as day was from night, and Asrior took great solace there. Though mountains were higher than the hills she'd lived in as a child, the land reminded her much of her birthplace. Small cottages dotted the land around the villages, and everything was green and flowering under a golden sun. Her days passed quietly, each the same as before; she would help her landlady, Geror, with housework, trying to learn as she did so, and then venture into the villages to buy things needed for the house.

It was much of what she dreamed of for the future with Kagoq.

During her trips to the villages, she listened for talk of the king's men; and early on, she'd discovered that a large group of those soldiers had left shortly before her arrival. It was also said they came and went on a regular basis and should be back soon. Based on the information she'd overheard in the city, she'd guessed that Kagoq was routinely moved from place to place. Asrior decided to wait for his return.

The stay would not be unbearable given the growing contentment she was starting to feel.

The emotion did not happen quickly, and sometimes she still was taken over by apprehension. Valtur would not stop searching for her, and though the metal-filled mountains was supposed to drive dark elves away, Asrior still wore the iron medallion and carried the crude iron weapon she'd hastily fashioned before leaving the city.

But afternoons spent sitting and thinking by the lake calmed her, and she'd spent some of her precious coin on the local cloth; Geror had sewn a dress for her, a simple and lose one that did not rub against her scars. Asrior burnt the one she'd arrived in as soon as she was able.

And while she mourned the loss of her mother's gold chain, the only tangible connection she had of her, Asrior told herself that the sacrifice had been worth it. She was free of pain and endless fear, free of the armor and that despised dark land, and she lived without constant risk of retribution. She began to think her plans might somehow work.

For the first time in near memory, she felt something close to happiness.

….

"Really, this is absurd," Asrior muttered under her breath, turning the page of her book. "No one would put up with such if they had a choice."

She leaned further into the tree she sat against, and when the constant breeze whipped strands of her hair into her eyes, impatiently pushed them away as she read. Every once in a while, she would tut under her breath when one of the book's characters did something illogical, and when she could take no more, she scowled and threw the book upon the grass next to her in frustration.

"Wretched story."

The sudden snap of a twig behind her had her whipping her head around and pulling the hood up, even as a satin-tinged voice said, "No book, no matter how wretched, deserves such ill treatment."

Shock overtook her at the distinctive sound of Loki Laufeyson's voice, and instinct propelled her to swiftly gather her bag and rise, ready to run.

But he was standing between her and the path to the cottage. Worse, he led a giant horse by the reins, a sight which had Asrior stepping backwards compulsively, so that her slippers sank into the sandy dirt that led from the grass to the lake's edge.

A gust of wind began to push the hood from her hair, and her hand went up to hold it down. But her efforts were futile, for a swath of hair still fell over a shoulder and strands that escaped the hood were blowing in her face.

She tried to hide her panic, though the hand that held her bag was clenched so tightly that her knuckles ached, and her blue gaze darted, frantic, from Loki to the path to the horse and then back again. She willed her face to stay calm, and her heart beat so loudly in her ears that she thought the god standing in front of her must surely hear it.

But the God of Mischief and Lies was watching her with mild expectation as he waited for her to speak.

Asrior managed to croak, "I can assure you that this book is an exception. It is revolting." And as she looked from him to the horse again, it crossed her mind that she could throw her bag at him if it came to it, and her crude iron knife was in her pocket, too.

The look on his face was turning from polite curiosity to recognition, though, and he leaned forward, his eyes narrowing before he exclaimed, "Wait a minute… I know you. You're Valtur's daughter. You're the one from Svartalfheim who went missing from court, aren't you?"

The hand holding the bag lifted slightly, and though a part of her wanted to snap that she was more of Asgard than that other vile realm, her lips pressed together and she took another step backward.

But he was saying, "I have to say, it's been a long time since I have seen my brother so out of sorts." He sounded amused, and the look he gave her was that of fellow conspirator. "Your father is in a fine lather as well. Whatever your game, you have managed to do me a great service in the process."

He was moving forward, and Asrior, alarmed, cried out, "I do not want to go back."

Loki stopped moving, and the laughter in his eyes turned to confusion. "What was that?"

Her hand moved to her pocket where the knife lay, though she realized her weapons would be futile. He seemed to tower above her with an awful, graceful strength evident in the ease with which he handled the unpleasant beast beside him. But she lifted her chin in defiance. "I did not mean for anyone to find me here. I will not go back. You cannot make me."

She must have sounded desperate, for he put a hand up, as though warding her off, and began to step backwards himself.

"I didn't plan on it," he said, his voice soft. "I was just…entertained…at the trouble you caused. Such games were my specialty once."

"I do not play games," she said, and taking a deep breath, pressed on, accusing, "You do not trust my father."

"No. I do not," the god admitted, dipping his head in acknowledgement. "He gives me little reason to."

"Then you do not trust me, either." Her fingers wrapped around the iron weapon in her pocket despite its uselessness.

He pursed his lips, as though thinking. "No. I suppose I don't."

Asrior stiffened her back. "Then I should not trust you."

His lips tilted upward and a laugh escaped his lips, and, shaking his head, he confessed, "I wouldn't, if I were you." She was about to draw her knife out her pocket when he continued, "But I'm not going to take you back to the city, if that's what you're so anxious about."

Disbelieving, she challenged, "But I cause trouble for your brother."

He lifted a shoulder. "I am not adverse to my brother's overbearing sense of confidence being tested."

"But I have heard the talk about my father. Surely you think me in league with him and will want to…"

"You put too much stock in your importance." The green-eyes that gazed at her turned scornful as he sneered, "You are no danger to Asgard. If anything, your disappearance has accomplished what I failed to do, convince my brother to strengthen the lower countries. If you heard talk of your father, then you know that your kind has long wreaked havoc in these lands—but now, _finally_, Thor has allowed more of our warriors to patrol the lands as your father's guards search for you. For that, I must thank you."

Loki bowed exaggeratedly, his green cape falling over the golden armor encasing his shoulders as he did so.

Asrior simply stood there, for her stomach was suddenly at her feet. More king's men along with dark elves on the roads meant that it was unsafe to leave the area, despite the danger that Loki posed; and at some point, the hand holding her hood fell to her side so that her hair blew loose, and blood-red strands blurred her vision.

Loki spoke again, and boredom had crept into his voice. "There is no need to continue on this track. I have my own concerns to deal with while I am here, and I will not waste my time playing helpmaid to my brother or your father. Do not bother me with your exaggerated fears."

She shoved the hair from her face, noticing that he was looking into the distance, his expression remote, as though thoughts from faraway invaded his mind.

Asrior's eyes were still wary as she demanded, "What do you do here that is so important, then?"

His green eyes snapped to her, his lips thinning. He had taken offence at her impudence in questioning his activities, but instead of the harsh words she expected, he offered a test instead. "I'll tell you if you tell me. What do you do here, elf?"

She just stared at him, her mouth clamped shut, and after a moment, his face relaxed a little.

He nodded, as though they had reached an agreement. "I'll be on my way." But before he could move, Loki's eyes landed on the book she had thrown to the ground. Bending, he picked it up and looked at the spine, smirking at the book's title.

"You do not strike me as the romantical type." He sounded amused again.

"It was the last book the grocer's wife in Trond had," Asrior defended, her cheeks growing hot. "I have borrowed books from her since I arrived and have gone through them all. I told you it was repugnant."

He handed it back to her, saying, "Even so, you should not abuse it such. Everything, no matter how vile you may think it, has worth in someone's eyes. The grocer's wife enjoyed it, did she not? "

And then he moved, leading his horse to the path toward Sollstrand, giving her one last sardonic glance as he left.

Despite his assurances, Asrior spent the next two days in a constant state of worry. Her near-contented state faded with the specter of capture looming over her. She could not trust Loki and waited for him to appear any minute with a cadre of soldiers to take her back to the city; and when she managed to convince herself that her presence was insignificant to him, she worried that the king's men who watched the dark elves would make their way to the mines and discover her.

Asrior still went into the villages, keeping her hair braided tightly so no more strands could escape the hood, and she listened for gossip of soldiers returning to the fortress in Sollstrand or of news of a search for a dark elf.

But all she heard was rumblings of Loki's arrival. The villagers were rife with speculation that he was in the area to pay court to a well-connected goddess whose palace lay to the east; many thought he sought to extend his rule over the lower countries through an advantageous marriage.

She stopped reading at the lake, though, worried that the god would trap her again; but on the third day, when men in the village were exclaiming about the horse Loki had ridden out on that morning as he headed to the goddess's palace, she decided that it was safe to return for a short time.

It had been only a few days since she'd sat under the tree, but the sight of it filled her with release, and Asrior almost ran, eager to sink under its branches. She dropped her bag onto the grass as she got there, but before she could turn and sit, a glint of gold against one of the roots that jutted from the trunk and toward the lake stilled her.

Bending, she picked up a small book bound in green leather and read the gilt lettering on the cover.

_Kringla's Travels_

Asrior gingerly opened the book, and though she was startled when a slip of paper began to slide out of it, she managed to grasp it before it fell to the ground. A sloping, elegant scrawl covered the paper, and her eyes widened as she read.

_I do not think you will not find these tales distasteful._

_And if I am wrong, refrain from abusing the book. It is worthy to me._

Slowly, she turned and slid down the trunk to sit upon the grass, looking around as though expecting to see the God of Mischief and Lies watching her. She was alone, though, and after a moment, Asrior turned to the first chapter and began to read.

He was right. The stories of the ancient warrior Kringla's exploration of the Asgardian continent were engrossing. The surprise and apprehension Asrior felt when she found the book faded, and she stayed buried in the pages for so long that when she looked up, the sun was much lower in the sky.

"Damn," she muttered, gathering her items. She had not meant to stay so late out of fear that Loki would return to the lake, and when she began up the path to Geror's cottage, she looked around, afraid he would appear from thin air.

She stayed up late, reading under the light of a small torch, and the next day, after hearing word that Loki had again left to visit the castle to the east, she returned to the lake. There she finished the book, and began to reread the tales, though she kept a better eye on the time.

When the following day revealed little news of the god's movements, Asrior went to her spot to leave the book against the tree roots with a note of her own inside.

_Thank you._

Upon her return to the lake the following afternoon, Asrior was not surprised to see that another book had taken its place. This time, there was no note.

….

Over a week passed, in which time she inhaled the second book and two others. The routine stayed the same; she would finish a book and leave it in the crook of the tree's roots, and the next day, another would appear.

After a while, the wordless interaction began nag at her. Asrior could not help but wonder when the god would make the exchange. Did he ride the path every day? Did he take that route to the road east to visit the goddess he courted? Did he watch for her, avoiding her spot when she was there?

And why in Odin's honored name did he leave the books for her at all?

One afternoon, after leaving her spot by the lake, she walked to the cottage and then backtracked, hiding in a copse of trees; she could see her spot there, and she waited to see if the god would appear. When the sun set with no sign of him, she left, telling herself she was being stupid.

But that did not stop her from rising at dawn the next morning and heading back toward the lake, telling Geror that she would be back later to help around the cottage.

Asrior sat for an hour, clutching the book she planned to return to him, and when she heard the sound of a horse's hooves, her heart flew into her throat.

_Be brave_, she thought, and she stood and turned to watch as Loki emerged from the path that came from Sollstrand.

He saw her almost immediately, but she could not see his face well enough to know if he was surprised or not at her appearance there. He dismounted from his horse and tied the beast's reins to a tree branch on the other side of the clearing, and he took his time walking to where she stood. His face was guarded.

She tried to think of something to say as he neared, but the god spoke first.

"I was under the impression you wanted to be left alone."

Her limbs felt funny as her nerves began to jangle, but she did not turn away when she spoke, nor did any tension show in her voice. "I do not want to be discovered, but you already know I am here." He just looked at her, so she pushed on, "I wanted to thank you. For the books."

"But you've already done so." He brushed aside her gratitude, and though something flickered in his eyes, he did not say anymore.

Not knowing what else to say, Asrior thrust the book she'd just finished at him. "Well, thank you again."

He took it and lifted a shoulder. "You're welcome." Then, when she just stared at him, he looked back at his horse. "I expect you'd like another one."

Annoyed at him and the conversation, she frowned, saying, "You really don't have to bother. You've been very kind, but I do not expect anything from you." She began to walk toward the path that led to the cottage. "I should be…"

"Wait." A hand on her arm stopped her, and when she looked up, she saw that Loki's face had transformed. Instead of the closed expression he'd worn, he now looked highly entertained as he said, "I don't think anyone has ever described me as 'kind' before."

The pressure of his hand against her arm was bothersome, and Asrior's tongue, which so often got her in trouble with Valtur, got away from her. "Probably because such an act is so rare at your hands."

Her body automatically tensed, and she immediately wanted to take the words back. But instead of growing angry, the god laughed and dropped his hand. Humor colored his voice as he said, "You are right about that. And I'm not really being kind now."

"You don't have to let me borrow your books," she pointed out, her voice matter of fact. "And you leave me alone."

"Yes, but the thought of anyone reading _The Passions of Aphrodite and Mars _out of lack of proper reading material offends me. And you're not the only one who wants to be left alone." He sounded almost friendly, and he again glanced at his horse, saying, "Allow me get you another book."

She nodded, and he gave her something close to a real smile before walking toward his horse. The animal shook its head at the god's approach, and Asrior watched with a sick fascination at his ease with it; he spoke lowly, a hand resting on the beast's neck, calming it, and then reached for a bag that hung behind the horse's saddle and dug inside.

When he turned to walk back, Asrior noticed that he did not wear his usual armor. Though still dressed in gold and green, his clothes were more formal, like the high lords at court wore. And his hair was shorter, slicked back from his face in a more careful style than he'd worn in the city.

He had the same look as the men who had courted her in hopes of gaining her hand in marriage, and she thought he must be on his way to see the goddess that lived in the palace to the east.

"Take this one," he said, holding out a thin brown book. "I hope you like poetry."

Her hand went out to take it automatically, despite her growing discomfort. She was treading on very dangerous territory, talking to him for so long. He was the God of Lies and not to be trusted.

"I should be going," she began, giving in to her disquiet. "You will want to be on your way."

Asrior began to walk past him again, and this time Loki let her go, though his words surprised her. "Actually, I was stopping here for a while." She stopped and turned to look at him. "I understand why you like this spot. One can hear themselves think here."

He was fixing the velvet of his shirtsleeve as he spoke, something like a shadow crossing his face, and it was clear his thoughts were on something removed from their conversation. The urge to ask him what vexed him surprised her, and Asrior frowned at the feeling and turned back toward the cottage.

She did not thank him again, offering only a vague sound of agreement as she left.

Talking to him did nothing to settle her thoughts, and for the next few days, Asrior left the cottage only for her daily trips to the villages, where tongues waged of Loki's movements and little else.

She even saw him once, riding his horse through the Sollstrand. A woman rode beside him, encased in silk the color of the sky and her hair the color of the sun. Asrior shrank deeper into her cloak as she watched them, her eyes lingering on the blonde's carefree expression.

Loki, though, looked menacing on his giant steed, his face impassive as he led the goddess from the village.

That afternoon, she stopped at the tree, lingering only enough to place the thin brown book of poetry on its roots. She was no longer filled with dread of discovery, but a vague uneasiness remained her constant companion. And the sight that met her the following day when she stopped by the tree to pick up her next book only intensified her feelings.

There was nothing there.

The book that she'd left on the roots was gone, but Loki had not left another in its place.

Asrior looked around, wondering if he'd left a note of explanation. But the grass held only a stray, flowering weed. She wondered if she had done something to offend him. She thought that perhaps Loki had left the village. Perhaps the goddess he courted had accepted his suit and his time was taken with new tasks now.

The feeling of unrest turned into something she could not place, and she turned, ready to run back to the cottage.

And then she noticed someone walking on the path from Sollstrand, and when she realized that it was Loki that approached on foot, the mixture of relief that filled her at the sight of him shocked her.

The god lifted a hand when he noticed her, and his steps quickened. Asrior, confused at her reaction, forced her face into its usual calm mask.

"Were you surprised there wasn't a book waiting?" He asked as he neared, but he didn't wait to hear her answer, moving past her instead to go to the tree. And he turned and slid down to sit, much as she usually did. "I meant to be here earlier, but I was delayed."

His voice was surly, and she shrugged as though it was of no concern. When she didn't move, he gave her an impatient look. "Aren't you going to sit down?"

Asrior sank gingerly into a seated position several feet away from him, and she watched as he began to open up a sack he carried.

"You did not ride this way this morning?" she asked finally, her own voice tense.

"No. I had…a free day, you might say."

He was frowning into the bag he was searching; and then she noticed that he pulled food from it and was placing it onto the grass.

"What is that?" Her brow knit, and the look he gave her was as disbelieving as his words were scathing.

"I thought you were somewhat intelligent. It's food."

"I can see that," she said stiffly. "But…"

"Food…" he continued, not listening to her, "and this."

He thrust a thick book covered again in green leather and gilt toward her, and it was heavy in her hands when she took it.

"This will take weeks to read," she muttered, opening it. It was a compilation of short stories from each of the nine realms.

Loki did not look up from his tasks as he mocked. "That's the idea." He began to lay bread and fruit on a cream colored cloth he took from the bag. "I grow weary acting as your walking library."

Something inside of her twisted at his words, and she glared at him, her voice growing hot. "You are the one who chose to leave these here." And she dropped the green-bound book onto the grass. "Take it. I told you before that I do not expect anything from y…"

"Are all elves as quick to take offense as you?" He spoke over her, and he lifted his head, staring at her as though she was an irascible child.

"You expect me to sit here and smile at your rudeness as though it is your due?" She could barely keep her voice from shaking, for anger was swiftly taking over her confusion at his mood. "And why do you persist in calling me that? My mother was of Asgard, and I was ra…" she stormed, but he ignored her, muttering under his breath, "Yes, Loki, all elves are like me. Ill-tempered, thin-skinned, disrespectful and ungrateful little…"

She began to stand, blood rushing to her face. "If that is what you think of me, then I will le…"

"Sit down!"

Her eyes widened at the force of the words, and he suddenly looked every inch the powerful, vengeful, _dangerous _god she had heard tales of. She was frightened, and the instinct to hide from him was great; but she sat upon the grass and locked her defiant blue eyes with his icy ones, refusing to look away.

Loki was visibly irate, but after a moment he took a deep breath and closed his eyes briefly, as though to control his temper. When he spoke again, he seemed to choose his words with great care.

"Asrior, if we are to talk at all, you must get accustomed to my pestering. It is the manner in which I sometimes speak."

The sound of her name on his lips startled her, though she supposed he had heard it often as her father railed over her disappearance from court; but she kept her face clear of emotion as she asked, "You wish to talk to me? It did not strike me as such just now."

He sighed and handed her an apple. Asrior took it, still wary, and as she took a bite, he said, "For days now, I have been subjected to nonstop, frivolous chatter. It is utterly exhausting, and it has had an ill effect on my mood."

Her face remained impassive, but her voice spoke volumes. "Really? I could not tell."

Loki threw her a disgruntled look. "I thought I might speak to you, as you seem to have a modicum of intelligence." He began to tear apart a loaf of bread, muttering, "But if you would rather be offended…

"What do you wish to talk about?" She asked, and though her back was still rigid and her voice cool, it was a peace offering. He looked almost grateful as he grouched, "Anything. So long as it's not gossip about court. Or ill-concealed bids for compliments about your beauty. Or what color gown you plan to wear next—because I do not know the difference between azure and cerulean blue, and even if I did, I do not give a damn how you look in it."

Asrior, who owned the one dress Geror had made and who washed it carefully every night before laying it by the fire to dry as she slept, almost allowed a dry smile to break through her severe demeanor. "I think I can manage that."

And so she began talking about the book of poems she'd just finished reading, her comments and questions stilted at first. But Loki was possessed of an extremely keen mind, and he answered her questions assuredly and asked deft ones in return, and soon, both of their sour moods began to ease.

The god sat back against the trunk of the tree as they talked, the breeze blowing one stray strand of his pitch-black hair against his fair skin. Asrior noticed that he dressed more casually that day. He wore neither his formal clothes or armor, but rather a simple tunic and leather pants. He looked relaxed, but his hands would flex at times, causing the muscle and cord in his wrists to tighten in such a way that she knew the powerful being she'd glimpsed earlier was thinly veiled by his outward appearance of serenity.

Even so, she forgot to be afraid of him at some point, and though they spoke only of the books she had been reading, the time flew by quickly.

The sun was sinking by the time she noticed, and when saw the look on her face, he too turned to the horizon and cursed under his breath.

His words were soft but heartfelt, and before she could think, Asrior asked, "You do not have another free day tomorrow?"

"No, tomorrow I again attend the Lady Hallerna." It was as though he spoke to himself, and he was staring at the fading sun in that way he had when his mind was far away.

Asiror's hands suddenly felt restless, and she picked imaginary crumbs from her skirt. "Oh. Yes. The goddess you pay court to."

Loki snapped back to the present, his brow vaulting upward at her words. "And what do you know about that?"

The silk in his voice was wrapped around steel now, and seeking to appease any ill will, she explained hastily, "Nothing, not really. But the villagers talk. They can see that you visit her often."

He grunted.

Taking the sound for agreement, she babbled, "I have seen her in Sollstrand. She is quite beautiful."

She tried not to dwell on the goddess, for the feelings she inspired made Asrior feel ashamed.

After abandoning her childish prayers to the gods, Asrior had faced her circumstances with pragmatism. She understood that she was the scarred, bastard daughter of Valtur the Unmerciful, and if she were lucky enough to escape his control, all she desired was a safe place to live out her days with Kagoq. Such a life was more than enough, and to ask for anything more would be greedy.

She did not like the bitterness she felt over the goddess's comfortable life or her physical perfection. Or her resentment over the fact that that the woman's likely future, filled with so much more than mere security, was something Asrior did not dare hope for.

Loki was making a scoffing sound under his breath, and he was looking at her as though she were simple-minded. "So? Asgard is filled with beautiful women."

"Then why do you court her, if it is such a chore?" she probed, hating herself for asking.

And though he frowned at her, he asked a question in return rather than berate her.

"Why did the men who paid you court do so?"

"For gold," she answered, her blue eyes meeting his without shame. "But you are a prince of the realm. Surely you are not in need of a fortune to sustain your way of life."

"No, I do not require a fortune, yet one in my position is at the mercy of other considerations." His face was like stone. "Duty, my dear elf, is seldom pleasant. I find that I do not like having my hand forced out of political expediency."

"So, it is the circumstances you dislike, not the goddess," she said, looking at her lap. "If that is the…"

He muttered darkly, "Neither are ideal."

"But why do you feel forced? The king did not marry for political purposes."

"Did he not? He forged bonds with Midgard with his marriage, or so he says. As king, he has the freedom to make such folly as to unite with such an insignificant realm." Then Loki was looking at her as though he suddenly realized their conversation had become personal. He began to gather up the remaining food and said, "And I have pledged my loyalty to him, and to the lands that I rule, and I will do what must be done."

Asrior understood that the subject, and her part in it, had been dismissed. She stood, picking up the new book from the spot where she had thrown it earlier, not knowing what to say next.

Loki, who had pushed himself to standing, gave her a considering look and professed, "You can be impertinent, but you do not babble."

He no doubt considered the words a compliment, but Asrior could not help her response. "And I thought you were supposed to have a silver tongue."

He laughed under his breath, his lips tilting as he regarded her. Asrior, for her part, kept her eyes locked with his, though it was difficult from her position. The god towered above her at close range.

"Yes," he said, and nodded as though he had made a decision.

"I should be on my way, my lord," she said, dropping her gaze after a moment. "It grows late."

Before she could turn from him, he said, "Do not leave just yet." And when she lifted her eyes back to his, he continued, "I find that my mood is much improved. I wish to talk to you again."

His words were imperious, an order; but something about his eyes spoke of isolation. It was unbelievable to think of, but Asrior wondered if the god before her was lonely.

The look she gave him, however, was suspicious, and he scoffed, "I merely wish to talk to someone who is not a fool. Even if it is an elf of Svartalfheim."

Biting back a harsh retort, Asrior simply looked at him. She was well aware that he thought her insignificant—but she had enjoyed the conversation as well.

Loki was watching her as she debated his wish, and it was obvious he strained to keep a look of patience about him the longer the seconds passed.

"I will talk to you again, my lord," she conceded, finally making a decision.

In the following days, the god would appear sometimes when she read by the lake. Always, their talk stayed on safe subjects. She seldom mentioned the meager, peace-filled life she led outside of their conversations, and she never spoke of Kagoq; and he never mentioned his reason for being in the villages. The closest glimpse she got of his courtship was when he'd leave with instructions about his next return, sometimes announcing he would be back the next day, sometimes days after.

She wondered what he did when he was not around.

Asrior was not sure when something changed, but at one point, their conversations began to alter. They began to talk less, sitting together to watch the water in silence instead. Sometimes she would point out the creatures around them—birds flocking toward the mountains, the little toads that hopped from the lake. He would stretch on the grass as though asleep, and when she'd stop talking, would open his eyes to command, "Keep going. It is restful when you speak."

Loki convinced her to take the hood from her hair, pointing out that his presence would attract the most attention should they be caught unawares, giving her time to pull it up. And when the days grew warmer, she removed the cloak altogether when he was around, not bothering to indulge in self-consciousness over the single, simple dress she always wore.

And then one day, as the god was sprawled on the grass beside her, a Peryton wandered from the woods on the other side of the clearing and approached the lake. Its antlers dipped low as it began to drink, and the brownish-green pelt that eased seamlessly into the bright blue feathers of its wings glittered in the sunlight.

Asrior, who had only read about such animals in books, put her hand on his arm and whispered, "Loki…look."

Her gaze was on the graceful creature at the water's edge, but she felt his arm grow rigid; and realizing that she had touched Loki of Asgard, prince of the realm, without permission and had used his given name in the process, she withdrew her hand, her head whipping around in horror.

But he was watching the Peryton, something that looked like triumph flashing briefly in his eyes.

"Have you never seen one before?" he asked, guessing correctly.

She shook her head, breathing a silent sigh of relief that she had not offended him before looking back at the animal. It was still drinking, either unaware or unconcerned over their presence. Beside her, Loki moved to sitting, and he leaned onto an arm so that he bent toward her.

"When we were children, we would sometimes visit a small palace near the Sea of Marmora, where it was narrow, with mountains on the other side; and it was said that Perytons lived there. Thor and I would order servants to take us over in hunt of them until Odin discovered what we were about and forbid it."

"Why did he do so?" she asked, her voice hushed; and she willed her hands to remain still, for she was greatly tempted to rub the spot on her neck was tingling at the sensation of his voice in her ear.

"It is against Asgardian law to kill such a creature," he explained. "And I suppose Odin did not want his son cast into a dungeon."

He sounded bitter, and though she wondered about it, she instead asked, "So what did you do when it was forbidden?"

"Went across the sea our own, of course." His voice warmed with the memory. "If he could not slay it, Thor was determined to capture one at the very least, and I was determined to save my brother from the inevitable consequences of his actions."

"Did you manage to capture one of them?" she asked, tearing her eyes away from the winged creature to look at the god beside her.

"Thor managed to corner one in the crevice of a cliff near the other shoreline. Perytons are extremely strong creatures, and they _do not_ like to be backed into corners." His eyes caught hers as he smirked at the memory, and his voice held a laugh when he added, "What's worse, their mothers do not like it when their offspring backed into corners. I think that was the first time my brother was thankful that I was one to—as he would so often remind me—'play at tricks and illusions'. We were saved when I conjured a thick fog that suddenly overcame the area. A fog that was, um…too thick, actually. Recall, I said the sea was narrow, but our boat floundered for days before we could see our way back home."

Her eyes grew wide. "Did no one grow alarmed at your absence?"

"Odin kept an eye on us, no doubt. I suppose he wanted us to learn from our mistakes." Loki's face was more serious, and he had turned to watch the Peryton, which was moving away from the water.

It was a dangerous conversation, one filled with risks, but it had been years since Asrior had spoken such with anyone. She could not help from asking, "And what did you learn from your mistakes?"

"Not nearly enough." His face closed at that, and he leaned away from her, as though to end the conversation. But when he spoke again, his words surprised her. "When I am not at court, I am usually at Okershall, an old castle in Ringsfjord, which is central to the lands I rule. There are many Perytons in the forests there, along with a host of other creatures."

Warmth filled her, for Asrior understood that Loki was allowing their conversation to stray beyond the safety of books, even if talk of himself was forbidden.

"I have heard that Habrok's dwell in that country," she said, her voice soft. "Can you tell me about them?"

He spoke at great length about the creatures that lived in his lands, and the sun was once again low when she left for Geror's cottage; Loki returned for five days after, each time allowing the subjects to range beyond their previous restrictions, though he refrained from speaking of personal experiences.

But at the end of the fifth day, as she prepared to depart, he announced, "I will return in nine days."

Asrior ignored the fact that her stomach dropped and though she almost asked what drew him away for such length of time, she nodded instead. His next words surprised her, though, for he was never one to volunteer information.

"I must return to the City of Asgard. I have a legal matter that must be settled there."

He was going to have the marriage settlement drawn up.

The fact that such a thought at the news was her first one alarmed her, for she should be concerned about his venturing to the city where her father probably still dwelled. Talking to him was dangerous. She was becoming too comfortable with his presence, too sure that her peaceful existence in the villages would continue. She should find a way to put an end to their meetings.

"Aren't you concerned that I will turn you in?" he asked, smirking. "Shouldn't you be throwing accusations at me right now?"

Keeping her face composed, Asrior answered, "Why? I should wait until you leave and then leave myself were I so concerned."

"But you aren't going to leave, are you?"

"No." She looked him in the eyes at the quietly spoken question. He looked almost lighthearted. She wondered if the goddess Hellerna's acceptance of his suit was what put him in such a talkative mood the past few days. "I'm not leaving. Not yet."

"Why?"

_Because I have to wait for Kagoq, and leaving without knowing where he might be is unthinkable._

She said instead, "I trust that you will not tell anyone that I am here."

"I won't," he said, his smile spreading so that he looked almost wicked. "Do you trust me beyond that?"

Asrior moved to walk past him as she muttered, "I would rather not say, my lord."

He put a hand on her arm again, and when she stopped, waiting for him to speak, Loki moved his hand so that he touched her cheek, lightly, with his fingertips.

Neither spoke. The god was regarding her thoughtfully, his pale green eyes moving slowly over her face; and though her stomach clenched under such close scrutiny, Asrior would not allow herself to look away. She was Birgitta's daughter. She was brave.

After a heartbeat more, dropped his hand, finally saying, "You called me by my given name once."

It wasn't a question.

Embarrassed, she began, "It was a slip of the tongue. I would not dare presume to be so forward with a prince of Asgard. Surely you know…"

"Asrior, if there is one thing I like about you, it is that you do no blabber. Stop."

She clamped her mouth shut and glared at him instead, for she had only been trying to apologize.

Loki grinned. "That's more like it."

"Do you require anything else of me?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"I will allow you to use my name." He said it as though he was granting her a great favor.

Asrior knew that his condescension should bother her, but she also understood that Loki was raised as the son of Odin, the Allfather. She was the bastard daughter of an enemy, belonging to a people responsible for many deaths—including his mother's. It was a wonder he even spoke to her given the contempt he held for her race.

And he did not turn her over to Valtur.

"Then I will do so." She dipped her head slightly in deference at his grant. "Loki."

But when she turned to walk up the path to the cottage, she told herself that he was dangerous, and though she believed that he would not tell anyone where she was, the instinct to hide from him overcame her again. She hoped that Kagoq would arrive back in Sollstrand when he was gone so that she could get him and they could find another place to live, far away where none knew them.

She hoped that the Lady Hellerna insisted upon removing to the city when the marriage agreement was signed.

She knew that whatever happened first—her leaving or his—that she would miss Loki when he was gone.

….

The nine days passed slowly, and Asrior spent much of them by the lake, looking over the water, toward the fortress and wishing desperately that Kagoq would return again so the two could make some kind of escape. It never crossed her mind exactly _how_ she would get the dwarf away from the soldiers that guarded him, she simply knew that she must do so.

She had sacrificed too much not to succeed; and she knew that if she were caught by her father that her punishment would be severe. She would survive, but Valtur would not take care to keep the scars hidden this time. And he would take her back to Svartalfheim and lock her away and never allow her to return to the realm of her birth.

Asrior was desperate not to let that happen; she had endured too much, including the sacrifice of Birgitta's gold chain. To fail would be as painful as her father's cursed whip.

For the first time since her first few days in the villages, she let her mind drift back to her mother; and when she visited her, she sought wisdom for what came next. She had to find a way to get to Kagoq, and she could not let Loki's friendship—if it could even be called that—distract her from her plans.

So when she saw him waiting at the tree upon his return, she steeled herself, for she would tell him that the meeting would be their last.

Loki watched her approach with a careful look on his face. She wondered why looked so guarded, but when he spoke, it was with his usual high-handedness.

"You are late."

Arching a brow at his accusing tone, Asrior said, "I did not realize I was to be here at a specific time. And I do not have to come at all, if I choose not to."

"You choose?" His lips turned down, and his eyes grew hard as he jeered, "Do you think I make requests, elf? I am a prince of Asgard, and though I might clothe my words in civility, do not mistake that I expect to be obeyed."

Stung, she snapped, "You are the one so fond of reminding me that I am of Svartalfheim. You are not my prince."

Loki growled, his look so dark it should have frightened her; but instead of fear, Asrior's heart felt heavy. He sounded like her father when he spoke as such. She did not understand his mood, unless he knew she had grown too attached to their meetings and sought to push her away.

Her voice was barely a whisper when she asked, "Why do you talking such? I respect your position in this realm, and I do not seek to disrespect you."

He looked at her with exasperation, the anger in his eyes slowly fading. His voice was wry when he finally said, "For someone who does not seek to show disrespect, you have an awfully forward way of speaking, Asrior. And I told you, you must humor my moods."

"I do not think my offense was unfair; but I sometimes speak too sharply. I apologize." Her words were measured, and for a moment, she thought to tell him how her tongue had caused so many of her father's beatings. But her mouth refused to open as the words reached her lips, and frustration filled her at the curse Valtur had placed upon her. She finally managed, "The habit gets me into trouble."

The god seemed not to notice the odd pause as she tried to speak, snorting instead and muttering, "I can imagine."

_No. You cannot, _she thought, but instead gently pointed out, "You were rather impolite yourself."

"But I am tired," he offered, without apology. "I am not always pleasant to be around in that state." And then he sighed. "Please. Sit with me."

She bowed her head and sat, her hands held primly on her lap, her back stiff as she watched him.

Loki leaned back against the tree after he lowered himself to the grass and began to dig in his bag. "You are still angry." He looked up at her, his voice dry. "Maybe this will improve your mood."

Asrior watched as he pulled out a large book bound in purple silk and trimmed in gold and silver thread.

"I brought this back for you," he said, handing it to her. "I hope you like it."

She traced the rich material of the cover with her fingertips, reading the title, _Aluar Nottson's Illustrated Field Guide to the Creatures of Asgardia_. And when she opened the book to find richly colored drawings of birds and sea creatures and wood animal, she breathed, "It's beautiful. But I have not finished the short stories you gave me."

"This is a gift. It is for you to keep."

For a moment, it was as though the ground beneath her tilted, and the rush of emotions Asrior felt at his words was as surprising as it was strong.

"Why?" she asked, her voice a whisper, and she did not dare look up from the book. She had been a child the last time she had been given a gift—a brightly colored jewel box from her mother. It had been decorated with painted flowers and birds and stars, and it had not been homemade. She did not know how Birgitta had managed to buy it, but Asrior kept her most precious keepsakes in it—bird feathers, dried flowers, and a picture her mother had drawn of Sif. She did not know what had happened to it, for the men who took her to Valtur had not allowed her to go back for anything when they took her, despite her pleas.

"I do not think I will be back after today," Loki said, sounding solemn. "Hallerna has indicated that she will accept me as a husband. Her courtiers look over the contract as we speak."

It was what she wanted, Asrior told herself. What she had wished for. Yet her stomach fell at the words.

"Then I offer my felicitations," she said, keeping her voice even, and when she raised her eyes to him, her face was composed.

He grunted and began to play with his shirt sleeve, mumbling, "I will need them."

"If the married couples I saw at court are any indication, you will rarely be expected to see her. You can pretend things were as they were before," she pointed out, closing the book and holding it to her chest.

"But I will not be at court." He was scowling. '"I will be in Ringsfjord.I have been away from the lower countries for too long and they demand attention. I cannot pretend there, as I will be constantly attended to by my wife. And I cannot sneak off to talk to stray elves once I am so connected."

"Then I suggest you start to learn the difference between azure and cerulean blue," she said, her voice overly sweet, suddenly annoyed.

Loki's eyes widened. "Are you mocking me?"

Biting her lips to avoid saying worse, Asrior shook her head and admitted, "I suppose I regret that we will not talk again."

"Duty. Such an unpleasant thing." A half-smile touched his thin lips at that, and his voice was wry. "I did not look forward to it when I arrived here, but I have enjoyed talking to you, much to my surprise. My time here was almost bearable."

A mixture of emotions warred within her—annoyance at his half-compliments, gladness at talking to him again, melancholy at his departure—and Asrior knew she had to leave before she allowed her carefully controlled demeanor to crack.

So she stood, still cradling the book in her arms. "Thank you for this. I will take great care of it." And then, taking a breath to steel herself, she pointed out something she had dared not say before. "For one who says he enjoys the sight of his brother in distress, you are very loyal to him in actions."

"Do not romanticize my actions. I plan to wed as much for my goals as his. This is altogether a deliberate, well-reasoned act." He stood himself, and his gaze was far way again. "Even when I sought to wed someone for less dispassionate reasons, I was aware that some considerations trumped emotion."

Surprise laced her voice. "You sought to wed before?"

"Mmmmm, once," he nodded curtly, snapping back to the present. "A lady of Ringsfjord. But she wed another, and now Thor has tied me to her country for some purpose of his own."

Asrior tried not to think of the woman he once thought to wed who lived in Ringsfjord, or of Hallerna, who would marry him and live with him there. Such thoughts made her wistful, and she did not have time to indulge in such foolish emotions.

"I hope this time it works better," she said, allowing the smallest of smiles. "Goodbye, Loki." And when she turned and walked away, he did not stop her.

She did not expect to see him again.


	5. Chapter 4-Illusions

A/N-At last, a slightly shorter update!

I had a burst of activity. If I have another, expect another update this weekend, though more likely early next week.

Thank you so much to my readers, and followers, and those who review. Feedback make all of this writing worth it, so please review! Let me know how you feel about the fic so /View

I wont' blab on too much. This chapter is all Loki and Asrior, though next might have a nice dose of a few Avengers if things pace out nicely.

I hope you enjoy this!

* * *

**Chapter 4—Illusions**

It was so easy that it almost scared him. This seduction of Valtur's daughter—if that was what it could be called—had required little more than patience. There had been no real effort on his part. Few sacrifices, and very little trickery. Nothing more than a few well-chosen words.

He'd even told the truth more than once.

It had been easy because Asrior of Svartalfheim was cut off from her normal society, and in her isolation she grew lonely. That Loki recognized her feelings so easily was of no consequence, for it was not important to understand why she felt as she did or why he was so quick to understand it. His only concern was that her state of mind made his plan that much simpler to carry out.

She was lonely, so lonely that she had put up with his quicksilver moods and soaked up his detached companionship—even if she sometimes chaffed at his manner. She'd slowly become attached to him, become accustomed to his presence in her austere little life, though she might not fully understand the extent of that need.

But he'd known that moment she'd forgotten herself and dared to touch him and call him by his name. As soon as she'd dropped her reserve that tiny fraction, Loki had known that he'd won. When the time came, she would agree to his offer with very little encouragement.

Still, a part of him admired Asrior for her single-minded determination; she stayed in the villages despite her seclusion, waiting ever so patiently for her father's schemes to unfold. Such resolution was admirable, even if he despised what she and all the dark elves stood for. In another life, in other circumstances, he might have felt differently.

But this was not another life. This was now, and Loki had promised to keep.

Valtur the Unmerciful would pay for what he'd done to the people of Asgard, and pay dearly indeed for Frigga and for Vedis. And if his daughter was part of that remuneration after the personal toll he'd extracted himself, then so much the better.

….

He wondered how she'd react when she saw him. When she'd left the lake two days earlier, she'd been sure that she would not see him again.

Oh, she hadn't let that thought slip—at least, not on her face, which was always kept in a maddeningly composed mask. But sometimes her eyes betrayed her, ever so slightly; and the movement of her hands could tell much, if one knew what to look for.

And now, Asrior was sitting under her tree, looking over the water, and Loki stopped to observe her as he tried to imagine her surprise when he appeared. She hadn't noticed when he'd approached on foot, following the path from Sollstrand, so her concentration must be deep indeed.

She wasn't reading. She didn't even appear to have a book with her. Her eyes were focused on the village across the lake, and her hands were wound together in her lap. Her back slumped slightly, as though she was tired, and something about the curve of her neck as she leaned her head against the tree spoke of patience, and…melancholy.

Loki bit back a smile as he moved forward, for it would not do to look too pleased with himself. But if there was a slight…_spring_…to his step, well, that only added to the part he had to play. After all, he was supposed to be a rejected suitor, but one who found great relief in the rebuff.

He was almost upon her when he spoke, keeping his voice slow and soft.

"Hello. I was hoping to find you here."

Asrior's head twirled around so quickly that her body seemed to jump, and her eyes widened with shock at his appearance. And as Loki began to lower himself to sit by her, a look of gladness flashed briefly in them.

She hid the emotion quickly behind her stern countenance, but he'd seen it. And it made his own heart lighter as he flashed a half smile in greeting; and then he willed his face to adopt a look of resignation.

"Hello," she said finally, watching him with wary eyes and scooting ever so slightly away from where he sat. "I did not expect you to return. I suppose I am to offer my congratulations?"

"Please do," he said, allowing another small smile to break through his look of forbearance, and when she bit her lip and clasped her hands tighter in answer, Loki almost grinned.

Really, this game was close to being fun.

"Then you have them." Asrior held his gaze, though, and her eyes were remarkably composed. "I wish you a good life."

"Thank you." He bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement, and his voice was quietly confident as he continued, "I'm sure it will be a good one." And then he paused, biting his lips for a moment before saying with just the right hint of mischief, "Especially since it will not be spent in the company of Hallerna and her damn cerulean blue gowns."

It took a moment for his words to register, and when her mouth opened slightly with surprise, he pursued his lips and cocked his head to the side.

"Or was that azure? I had the hardest time telling the colors apart."

"What do you mean?" Her voice was barely above a whisper as she ignored his joking. Then she cleared her throat, and her voice was stronger when she said, "I thought she had agreed to your offer."

"She did."

And then he grinned, a real one that allowed his pleasant mood to slip through, for such a feeling was appropriate given his supposed reluctance in the matter of his courtship.

"Apparently she changed her mind, and nothing I could say could un-change it. Believe me, I tried," Loki explained, leaning toward the elf to confide in her. "I have to admit, I'm torn. Her rejection puts me in a damned awkward position with Thor, but I cannot pretend that marrying her was a desirable event. So while I will have to listen to my brother express his deep disappointment in me, I am also spared a lifetime of that woman's idiotic chatter."

Asrior looked out at the lake, and it seemed as though she was holding back a smile. "Was it so bad?"

"Unbearably so," he said with feeling, for it was the truth. The courtship had been a sham, a story concocted to make the woman beside him less fearful of his motives; but he had spent an enormous amount of time with Hallerna as part of the deception. He's said that he needed advice and insight into the low country people he now ruled, and it had been difficult, for the goddess's wit would not fit in a thimble. "Thankfully, that bit of duty is done for."

"Why did she change her mind?" She looked almost afraid as she asked, for Asrior had always been very careful about probing into personal matters.

"The thought of marrying a prince of Asgard stroked her vanity." He moved then so that he was lying on the grass, and he stared up the clouds drifting across the sky. "But I think Hallerna realized that marriage to me would deprive her of the male adulation she is accustomed to. I do not… Well, it is not that I cannot give such attention to a woman, but I cannot do so to someone as feckless as she. I did not pretend otherwise when I paid court to her."

"But you are the God of Lies. I have heard it told that you have little need for honesty."

He smirked at her candor. "Maybe I did not think the result was worth lying for."

"I also heard it that you were reformed," she said, looking at him as she spoke, her severe little face suddenly intent. "Though many said such tales were too far-fetched to be believed."

Scoffing, Loki said, "You should disregard such gossip, for the tales of my reformation were too far-fetched for even _me_ to believe."

"Well… I would think you would have left here." She was looking back at the lake, and though her words were casual, she took great care with them. "What need have you to be in the villages now?"

"My brother bid me to stay here." He spoke the truth again. Thor had been gone on business when he'd arrived in the city; and though the royal courtiers were loath to share what his brother was doing, they had been clear that the king wanted him back in the mining villages and wanted him to stay put until told otherwise.

Thor probably reckoned that he would stay out of trouble in a place that that dark elves could not enter. Little did he know that those villages in the iron mountains hid something that would prove to be quite useful in Loki's plans.

He turned his head to look at Asrior, his unwitting means of striking back at Valtur, and this time he lied, the words tripping off his tongue easily. "I suppose Thor's interest in a political union is what causes such orders. Things have been…restless…in these parts before and after the recent wars. He is not just focused on the other realms, he wishes to establish peace here as well. He had great hopes for a match with Hallerna."

Sounding very curious, Asrior asked, "Did he take your preferences into consideration when he pushed for the match?"

Her eyes were still guarded, though, and Loki pushed up so that he leaned on his arms a little and waited before answering. "No. But then, I do such a good job of looking out for my own interests that maybe he thought he didn't need to. Notice that I remain unattached despite Thor's wishes and my most sincere efforts."

The corner of her mouth lifted a fraction. "Sincere? Do you always get your way, my lord?"

"Loki," he reminded her gently, and his fingers played with the grass. "And you will find that in the end, I do what I want."

Her was voice dry. "And how will I find out that?"

The fact that she was sometimes so straightforward, so _unafraid_ to voice her displeasure or skepticism or frustration with him was unique, and it intrigued as much as it annoyed him. And as she watched him with that vexingly controlled expression, he felt a pull of something that he did not want to acknowledge.

Still, he said, "Take your hood down, Asrior. It's rather warm today. You cannot be comfortable."

A look of exasperation crossed her face, but she did as he ordered, pulling the hood down to uncover her dark red hair, which was bound in a tight knot that styled so that it still managed to cover the tips of her elven ears. And then she pulled open her cloak slightly, and when a breeze from the lake lifted it, she closed her eyes and tilted her head back, enjoying the feeling of the cool air.

Bedding her—and he had to do so, for the laws of Asgard were quite clear on the matter of consummation in the sealing of marriage contracts—would not be a chore.

In fact, as he watched her, he had to admit that it might be pleasurable. Asrior might be of dark elf blood, but other than her ears and petite frame, she looked of Asgard. She was much like Sif, though more feminine. Her face was softer, and her brows were like delicate little birds wings that framed eyes the exact color of the sky at twilight. Her lips were full and pink, and her hair… It was a shame that she scrapped it back so, for it was magnificent when it was flowing over her shoulders.

And then there was that self-possession. She was so severe, so restrained that Loki often wondered what she would look like if she gave in to whatever emotions lay within her. Those times when she came close to losing her temper with him, she was almost beautiful, and he was often tempted to see if he could make her lose further control.

Too tempted.

He did not want to enjoy any part of Valtur's daughter.

Loki scowled and sat up fully.

"I do not know how long I will be in Sollstrand," he said, keeping his voice even. "But until such time as my brother calls me back, I will visit here."

Asrior looked almost pleased at the words, as he knew she would.

"You wish to continue our conversations?"

"Yes." And he did not lie when he said, "Nothing would give me greater pleasure," though he knew she did not fully understand his meaning.

"Why? You do not need to be distracted now."

"I've told you before. I enjoy talking to you; I even sometimes forget what you are." She looked unconvinced, so he pushed the pretense further. "I would like to see you as friend, Asrior. I would hope you might see me as the same."

He put out his hand then, as a gesture of amity; she just stared at it before her own moved, slowly, to take his. Her hand felt very warm against his normally cool skin; and she watched as his larger one engulfed hers.

"Friends, then?" he asked, his eyes earnest.

"Friends?" She was hesitant at first, but her voice grew stronger as she repeated, "Friends, Loki."

And then she looked up at him and smiled.

And it was as though the sun had suddenly dipped down to sit beside him. Asrior's face…it _transformed_ as she beamed up at him, her clear blue eyes suddenly open and shining. Joy seemed to radiate from every aspect of her body, and he could feel it, that glowing warmth from her—feel it on his skin and deeper as it began to seep into muscle and bone. It was beyond physical, though, and beyond any beauty he'd ever known.

Loki had to remember how to breathe.

But Asrior was sliding her hand from his, her face a mask of composure again.

He blinked, unnerved, and tried to remember what he'd meant to say. All he could do was wonder how swiftly she'd changed back, and wonder where she hid the other self she'd briefly shown him or if it had been a figment of his imagination.

"Well, then… Do you mean to talk now?"

"Yes, I'd like to talk," he said, trying to focus again. "I have no plans for the rest of this afternoon."

"Well, there was a story from Midgard that I wanted to ask you about," she began, but he put up a hand and shook his head.

"If you really want to discuss one of those stories, feel free to talk about them," he said when his mind was finally on track. "But before you do, I want to ask something of you."

And he scooted a little closer to her and brought his knees up, resting his forearms on them; and his eyes turned inquisitive as he asked, "Why did you leave the city and come here? Part of all of this is that I find myself wanting to trust you. I meant it when I said I do not want to force you back to court…but I cannot help but wonder what you do here. I wonder if it concerns your father, and if I should be concerned about it."

Asrior's eyes flew to her hands, which were fisted now. After a moment, she made a sound that got caught in her throat, and her hands clenched tighter.

Loki's eyes narrowed as he watched her. It was as though she was searching for words that she could not find, and she sounded frustrated when she finally said, "I am waiting for someone."

Curious. She had come close to admitting she waited for the dwarf, but she was trying not to betray her father. It was understandable, in a way, such loyalty to a parent.

But if he was careful, he could give her way to retain that fidelity and agree to his proposal when offered.

"Does this have something to do with the marriage your father planned for you? You left so soon after…after your betrothal was announced so…publicly."

She almost looked relieved when her eyes moved up to his.

"Partially," she admitted. "I probably would have come here even if the betrothal had not happened. But it… Well, when I acted as I did that evening at the banquet…" She paused, and after a long moment she huffed in irritation and spit out, "It made coming here more expedient."

Asrior's rebuff of Jerrick's son had surely upset her father's plans, but Loki could understand her unwillingness at the union. Lorelei had told him of the men who had hovered around Valtur in hopes of paying court to his daughter; most of them were lords of the worst sort—dissolute, self-indulgent oafs with little to recommend them in the way of brains or strength or talent much less looks.

And the elf beside him was female, which meant she probably harbored pathetic illusions of romance with a handsome lackwit whose promises of everlasting love dripped from his tongue like honey.

It must have been crushing to discover that her fantasies where just that—the make believe stories of an over-indulged child. Such tender emotion was rare indeed, and she was unlikely to find it in the men her father would have her wed.

Loki himself had come close to it only once, when Vedis's friendship and compassionate nature had stirred something in him.

But she and so many others were dead, and more were still dying, and Valtur lived and mocked them all at court; there was something so unjust in that fact that it was hard not to lash out in rage.

Asrior was looking at her hands instead of him, so she did not notice when his face darkened; and his voice remained calm when he probed, "Can I ask who you are waiting for?"

"Someone I knew long ago, someone who was my…" she began, and her breath caught again, and her eyes were troubled when she looked at him. "This is difficult for me."

He drew a deep breath before murmuring, "I'm sorry. I just… I would like it if you thought you could confide in me."

"You may not believe this, but I would like to do so, Loki." And her eyes were intent on his when she said, "But I can't. I cannot tell you…"

She paused again and looked so distressed that he put up a hand to stop her. He did not want to push her too far before it was time. "Stop. I'm sorry, I do not want to upset you. Maybe when the time is right, you can tell me more."

"I do not know if I will ever be able to do that." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "I can only tell you…I cannot speak for my father. I do not understand exactly what plans he has. But please believe me when I say that I have no ill wish for you."

Perfect.

"I would like to do so." His voice was soft first, and then he nodded, saying briskly, "But let us talk about something else, shall we? It is too fine a day to waste on things that must wait."

And as she slowly began to talk about that damned story from Midgard, he leaned back on his arms and watched her, remembering how the elves of her realm had stolen those precious few who were closest to him; thinking that his plans were indeed working out to perfection.

Really, it was all too easy.

….

Asrior could not sleep.

Every time she closed her eyes, the sight of Loki Laufeyson danced inside of her head.

It was ridiculous. It was dangerous.

It was impossible to stop, and what was worse, it was happening all the time now.

For ten straight days, the god had visited her by the lake and talked, and her acceptance of his friendship seemed to open something in him. Their conversations still did not dig too deeply into personal matters, especially not hers, but things were much less detached. They spoke more freely with each other. When talking to him Asrior began to feel comfortable. Unafraid, even when he grew temperamental. It was almost as though she talked to Kagoq.

Almost.

But it was not exactly the same, because the sight of Kagoq had never stirred her anything in her body.

Loki's gaze made her skin prickle in ways most uncomfortable, and his smile, when he chose to bestow it, sent flutters through her chest. When he touched her, the cool feel of his hand flew into her skin and along nerve endings. Even the look of him when he grew demanding and petulant stirred a physical reaction from her.

It was unpleasant and unnerving and all too enjoyable.

Asrior told herself she was being silly the day she watched him tell a story, watched as he pushed a stray strand of pitch-black hair aside, his green eyes lit with mischief, and she wondered why she'd ever thought Thor the more handsome brother. Then came the day he'd gone to sooth his horse after it had spooked—she had watched his hands glide with assurance along the beast's neck and his head tip sideways as he pacified it with his silken voice—and it occurred to her that Lady Hallerna was indeed an imbecile to have rejected him.

And then came the day before, when he'd spoken bitterly of the time he'd found out he was of Jotunheim, just a few, short words about how righteous his sense of betrayal was; but he'd also admitted that he deserved punishment for the things he did in the wake of it. And for the first time, Asrior realized how similar their heritage was. Loki understood what it was like to be of two worlds. He understood the impotent, bitter anger of being forced to be apart because you were born of a monster. And something in her stirred that wasn't simply physical.

He was dangerous. Being near him was fraught with hazard, and she knew now more than ever that she had to stop meeting him. But she also understood that to do so willingly would be close to impossible.

So when he appeared that afternoon, smiling easily as he approached the tree, it was Asrior's turn to be surly.

Scowling at him, she muttered a short greeting at his, "Hello," and shrugged at his remark about the weather as he sat beside her.

Loki's brow raised at her mood, but he didn't say anything about it, instead looking at the book that sat on her lap.

"You're done with that?" he asked, jerking his chin at the book of short stories he had given her. When she nodded and said nothing else, he held out a hand to take it. "You should have said something yesterday. I would have brought another if I'd have known you were almost done."

"I did not know I would finish it last night," she said, shoving it at him and turning to look over the water. "I could not sleep."

"I'm sorry."

His voice was almost wary.

She shrugged. "It is not your problem, is it?" And then she frowned, for it was entirely his fault.

A clearing of his throat told her that he bit back something biting, and instead he said, "If I'd have known you had trouble sleeping, I would have given you something different to read. Say…the treatises of Hilga the Great and Udul the Wanderer. The pair long fought over a miniscule parcel of land near the Gopul River, and their correspondence over the matter is frightfully dull. I think they sought to claim the land by killing the other through sheer boredom. I know I thought I would die of such when I had to study their wretched writings."

Asrior risked glancing at him, and then instantly regretted the decision, for he was looking at her as though she was his horse and needed calming.

Wanting to find offense, she glared at him. "Stop patronizing me. I do not like it."

He sighed. "Then stop acting a child, Asrior. If you are angry about something, say it. I do not like games."

Pushing to stand, she snapped, "Maybe I grow tired of this."

"Of what? Actually having someone with a bit of intelligence to talk to?" He was starting to sound as irritated as she did, and he moved to stand as well. "Or would you rather discuss trite romances with the grocer's wife? If you want to be alone, it can be arranged."

Loki seemed to tower over her, so Asrior stepped back, her arms crossing in front of her chest as though to protect herself from him. "You are the one who ordered me to attend to you, remember? Though you sometimes speak nicely, you expect to be obeyed…"

"That was before." He pushed a hand through his hair, sounding frustrated. "I know I can sound demanding…" At her scoff, he amended, "I know I can _be_ demanding. I thought we were beyond that now. If you do not realize it, I gave you a choice. It is not something I do lightly."

His pale green eyes were as candid as she'd ever seen them; and as she returned his stare, she noticed that he was tense. A nerve pulsed along his jaw, and her eyes rested there before moving of their own accord to his neck and to the pale skin there, which made her damned stomach clench.

Asrior turned on her heel, silently cursing her inability to control her reaction to him.

"Do you really want to be alone?" he asked, sounding on edge.

"No." She stared at the fortress across the lake. "But I am tired of…of this waiting. It's like I am in limbo while I am here, and I want…"

_I want to tell you why I wait for Kagoq._

But the words were caught in her throat again, and she noticed that her hands were gripping the cloth of her skirt, twisting it. It was maddening, the curse that stilled her words every time she tried to tell him the truth.

She could easily tell him that she waited for the dwarf Sif had rescued, and the curse would not stop her from telling him that she wanted to take Kagoq away to live in peace. But Loki would think she lied and acted for her father—for the one thing she could _not _tell him was _why_. She could not tell him that she too had been beaten by Valtur, or that she and Kagoq had been the other's protector. She'd tried many times to do so since she began speaking to the god, and each time, the words stopped in her throat as though choking her.

And as far as Loki knew, the last time she'd been in Kagoq's presence one of Odin's soldiers was forced to pull her from the dwarf's bloodied back to stop her beating him.

Not for the first time, Asrior contemplated dropping her cloak and stripping naked before the man so she could show him the wounds on her own back.

"What do you want?" he demanded, impatient now.

Infuriated with the situation and with her unwilling attraction to him, she turned to him and lashed out, "I want this to be over with."

Her hands were still knotted in her skirt, and Loki's eyes were riveted on them; and a corner of his mouth twitched up in a bitter half-smirk. "This is not how I planned this conversation to turn out."

He took a deep breath, and Asrior noticed that he was dressed in the more formal attire he'd worn when visiting Hallerna. Something constricted in her chest, and she saw that his lips were pressed tightly together, though not in anger.

"Am I the cause of this distress?" he asked then, his eyes moving to hold hers.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head and then nodding, a bitter laugh escaping. "Yes."

"Which one is it? It is very important that I know, Asrior."

He was standing very still.

"I want to complete my…task here," she explained, trying desperately to find words she could use. "And you… You being here complicates things, Loki. I enjoy talking to you entirely too much for someone of my background."

She looked down at her hands, which had let loose her skirt and were now held tightly together.

"Would it make it easier on you if I told you I was leaving?"

Her eyes snapped up to his, dismay filling her at the question.

"Yes," she whispered. "It would."

Loki's eyes were guarded as he watched her, and Asrior had to force her expression to remain calm, for she immediately wanted to take her words back.

"Do you want me to leave?"

_Say yes, say yes, say yes_ she thought, for she had to get him to go away…

"No."

He took a deep breath, his shoulders relaxing slightly; and he pushed his hand through his hair again before muttering, "This is ten times harder than it was with Hallerna."

Her heart jerked as the words registered.

But Loki was announcing, "Thor has sent word that I am to leave here. I am free to go back to my lands, and I really must do so, for I have been away from them for too long."

"Oh…" she said, not knowing what to think, for confusion was warring with distress for control of her emotions.

He stepped closer to her and reached out, pulling one of her hands into his; and he bent slightly, so that he could look her in the eyes; and his voice was firm as he stated, "Surprisingly enough, I find that I like you, Asrior of Svartalfheim. I will not pretend that it is anything more than that. I am very well aware of what you are and who your father is. But if I am to make a political alliance, if I am to help my brother bring peace to the realms, I think I could do much worse than to unite with you."

His hand was so strong, she thought inanely, staring at the one that held hers between their bodies. Had Hallerna realized that when she'd turned down his offer? And when she asked, slowly, as if trying to understand, "Do you mean to unite in marriage?" it sounded as though her voice was far away.

"Yes, Asrior."

It was not what she expected, ever, when Valtur had announced she was going to Asgard in search of a mate, and such was her shock that she said the first thing that sprang to her lips.

"Well. You are certainly not a child."

"No, indeed I am not." Loki's voice held a hint of laughter.

She raised her eyes to his and saw that despite his amusement, he still looked uncertain.

"Why?" she asked, knitting her brow, and when she tried to tug her hand away from his, his grip grew tighter.

"Because we get on well together. Because you are not an imbecile, and you do not cling, and your realm is one that most vexes my brother in his quest for peace."

Again she tried to pull her hand away, but he did not let go.

"You and I are alike, Asrior. Because of who we are, we live with certain expectations. We must marry, both of us, for reasons that have little to do with our own considerations. So why not marry the other since at least we get along?"

Her brows rose, and she tried to use words to push him away. "However did you get a reputation for being possessed of a silver tongue?"

"You want me to profess my love? To pretend that you stir some romantic sentiments within me?"

Too scared to consider the question, Asrior scoffed. "And what does this marriage hold for me?"

"Obviously, not flattery or sugarcoated compliments. But I am possessed of a very large library." He was smirking. "Seeing as you like to read so much."

She managed to get her hand away from his, muttering, "You are jesting…"

But before she could turn away from him, Loki's hand moved to her hair; it was tied back with a ribbon, and he touched it where it lay over her neck. She watched him from under partially lowered lids; his own eyes lingered on his hand, and after a moment he moved it to thread his fingers into the strands, tugging until some of the hair fell loose. Then he began to twist the strands around his fingers, and his eyes grew darker so that the green was filled by the black of his pupils.

Asrior's heart, which could not make up its mind how to behave, decided to stop altogether.

"What…" she began, sounding breathless, watching in fascination as Loki's eyes moved to her mouth. "What are you doing?"

"There's this," he murmured, moving closer to her so that their bodies were almost touching, and his hand, still twined with her hair, moved to her chin and tilted it upwards.

And then his lips touched hers, and her eyes drifted closed. The kiss was light, so soft that Asrior thought she might be imagining it, so she moved her own hands, raising them to his chest to reassure herself that he was there.

When one of her hands drifted to his neck to touch the skin that had so intrigued her, Loki made a sound and moved so that their bodies were fully touching. His other hand was on her back, pressing into her cloak, and his mouth grew more demanding.

Asrior had been kissed before by some of the men her father had allowed to pay her court; those experiences had been unpleasant, for the men were harsh, their touch hurtful when they forced their tongues into her mouth, and it had taken all of her will not to claw at them and push them away.

But this…this was entirely different. This was indescribable, the feel of Loki's mouth against hers, and she opened willingly for him. She wanted to taste him, wanted to get even closer, and when she felt the tip of his tongue slide against her own, her knees almost gave way. Her hands moved to his shoulders to grip them tightly—and in the back of her mind, it occurred to her that she finally understood why Aphrodite acted so incredibly stupid over Mars, because if his kisses were _anything_ like this…

Then Loki moved, tearing his mouth from hers. His hands had wrapped around her arms, and he was holding her away from him, and when he took a deep breath, Asrior's eyes flew to his. Her mouth opened, though she didn't know what to say. And then it shut, for something dark flashed in his eyes, and she didn't want to say anything, then.

So she tried to still her breathing and her heart, which was most definitely moving again, and waited for him to speak.

Finally, he laughed under his breath before murmuring, "As I said, there's that."

She could feel his silken voice deep inside of her, and heat filled her face. "I have been around court enough to know that people do not have to marry for that."

"Are you propositioning me?" he asked, leering at her wickedly.

Asrior pulled back so that his hands fell away. "Was your marriage offer made in jest?"

"No." His smirk faded. "I'm more serious about that than I have ever been about anything."

"My father will never give permission." She countered, reminding herself that she was here to find Kagoq, not rut with Loki. "This is madness."

"You are an adult, Asrior. You do not need your father's permission," he argued. "You had to sign the marriage contract with Jerrick's son, did you not?"

"Yes, but…" And her eyes were almost desperate as she insisted, "But I did not come here to marry."

"Is waiting here so important, then? Will joining with me cause you to lose what you seek?" he asked intently. "I have been in places beyond the realms, Asrior, visited worlds you cannot imagine. I know that no one race is purely evil, and if you are worried that I will judge you because of what some of your kind do, trust me to be fair. Surely I can help you instead."

And it hit her.

She had never known how she would get Kagoq from his guards, she'd never tried to think about it too much, because the prospect of such a feat was daunting.

But if she were wed to Loki…

When they were wed, they would lie together; and when he was with her, he would see her scars. He would _know_ then, and her mouth would be unbound so that she could tell him. She could tell him about living with Valtur, and how he hurt everyone, including her, and how she had sworn to Kagoq that she would protect him.

And Loki would help her find her friend.

"I can't," she said, her voice soft, but the eyes she lifted to his were close to hopeful. "Not yet. But marriage would not hinder anything. In fact, it might make my quest easier."

She noticed that he'd taken her hand again.

"Are you agreeing, Asrior?" Loki asked, his voice still guarded. "I warn you, you must decide soon, for I cannot linger in these parts any longer."

There was more she needed to ask.

"Do you need the permission of the king to wed?"

"No. While I am bound to a political union, I have some discretion in my choice." He grunted, reminding her, "It says much about my choices that Hallerna was least objectionable" She opened her mouth to say more, but he spoke over her, guessing her next question. "And if you are wondering, Thor will not look down upon you because you are of Svartalfheim. He wishes most ardently to have peace with your realm. Truly, you are an asset."

"You are sure of this?" The eyes she lifted to his were cautious, for she did not want to hope too much. "I do not just mean the king's reaction, but of your sincerity in uniting with my house?"

"I want to marry you. And I am more sure of that than I have been of anything in a long time, Asrior."

"Then yes," she breathed, her voice shaking, for it was terrifying how exultant she suddenly felt, as though a huge weight were lifted from her. She was going to marry someone who would understand her, someone she could talk to. Someone would finally _see_ and could help her. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought such a future could be hers. "Yes. I agree, Loki. I agree to this marriage."

For the first time that day, a genuine smile spread over his face. "I am glad," he said with feeling, and he lifted her hand to his mouth and brushed his lips over her skin. "I am beyond that, even."

….

Asrior was glad, too—and, as Loki had said, beyond that.

At least at first.

When the god took his leave that afternoon, after they had made tentative arrangements, he left with instructions to be prepared to depart the villages within the week. He would ride to the city to make up a contract; and upon his return, they would quietly marry in Sollstrand, he told her, at the fortress, and then begin their journey to Okershall, the palace he lived in in Ringsfjord.

It was only when he left that doubt began to nag at her.

It arose when she went to the village to buy more cloth and enlisted a dressmaker to add to her meager wardrobe. She needed better dresses than the single one she owned, something more befitting the wife of a prince.

The silk she chose for her gowns was not the finest, but it was pretty enough; and the seamstress was said to be a good one. But when she stood to be measured, standing in her plain dress that Geror had made, the dressmaker's hands had pressed through the rough fabric and into her scars when she measured Asrior's chest and waist.

For the first time, she questioned her decision. Was it fair to marry Loki, knowing that she offered him such a battered body? Hallerna was so beautiful that it almost hurt to look at her—and yet Loki had shrugged and said his realm held many such women. But that indifference did not mean that he would be satisfied with what she offered.

Would he be repulsed when he saw her scarred figure? Would he be angry or feel as though she tricked him when he finally saw the extent of Valtur's thrashings? His reaction had not occurred to her when she'd agreed to marry him, for her only thought about the union was that she would finally be able to tell him about Kagoq.

Asrior forced herself to push such worry to the side, telling herself that she would face whatever the consequences of her actions when the time came. She was Birgitta's daughter, and she was brave. She had withstood living with Valtur, surely she could withstand Loki's reaction, however harsh it might be. The fact was that she could not tell him the truth no matter how hard she tried, and once he realized she'd been cursed, he'd understand her silence on the matter.

When he returned from the city, her fears were allayed, for he was obviously pleased that they would soon be united. Theirs would be a marriage of like minds, and though she did not think her status as Valtur's daughter would do much to help Thor's relations with Svartalfheim's queen, it surely would help dispel the fears of the people Loki ruled. She could show them that not all of her kind were evil. That there were those with dark elf blood who wanted peace. And Kagoq could use his long-held knowledge of Valtur and his men to assist those who dealt with the dark elf incursions on the borders, for Asrior would be able to help him communicate.

So when the morning came that she left Geror's cottage to go to the fortress for their marriage, she allowed herself to feel happy.

Loki had sent a carriage for her to ride in with her few bags, and after giving her landlady a heartfelt hug to thank her for what she had taught her, Asrior left for her new life. A handmaiden was there to meet her at the fortress entrance, and she took her to a set of rooms to prepare for the ceremony. Asrior waved the woman away when she offered to help, saying that she was accustomed to acting as her own attendant; the reality was, she did not want to undress before anyone or have them around as she bathed. She did not want others to see her scars until her husband did.

So she cleaned herself and arranged her hair simply. The dress she wore was a modestly-styled blue silk one that matched the color of her eyes; and when she smoothed out her skirts and looked at herself in the mirror, Asrior wished that she had Birgitta's chain to wear.

And then someone was at her door, waiting to lead her to where the marriage would take place.

The attendant took her to a large room with stained glass windows at either end; and Loki was there, wearing his armor, pacing in front of a large table as he waited. He stopped when he saw her and smiled slightly, holding out a hand.

When Asrior walked up to him and reached for it, he sounded almost surprised. "You look lovely in that color."

"Again with the silver tongue," she said, her voice dry, and she pulled away from him to pluck at a sleeve. "At least I do not demand you name its exact shade."

He smirked and looked impatiently at the door. "The official who will marry us should be here at any moment." Then he glanced at the table where a stack of papers sat, his hand twitching at his side. "Do you want to read through the marriage contract? I know you said you didn't need to, but…"

"I do not think I could manage reading right now, to tell you the truth," she said, suddenly growing as nervous as Loki looked. "I trust that you've arranged everything as it should be."

"Oh, I have," he assured her, an almost feral smile spreading across his mouth. He looked so _different _just then; but when Asrior blinked, he was smiling at her in his usual teasing manner.

"Well, then…" she began, "if you…"

The door opened, and a large man with a very loud voice burst into the room.

"Sorry I'm late, sorry about that," he was saying as he bustled toward them. "Problems between a few of the miners at one of the taverns." He stopped in front of Asrior, smiling benevolently; and he smelled as though he'd helped settle the issue by spending the night at the tavern, and her nose wrinkled as he continued, "Shall we get on then?"

The entire thing was hardly romantic, but then, theirs was not a love match; despite her attraction for the god, she understood that they joined for purely practical reasons.

So it did not matter much that the wedding ceremony was rushed or that the half-drunken man who read their vows stumbled over the words. They signed their contract, then held hands, and Asrior watched as a ribbon was wound about both of their wrists, binding them together. Loki's voice was firm when he said his part of the ceremony, and hers was sure as well when it was her turn. And though a part of her wished that Kagoq were there, and that her mother had lived to see her married, Asrior was pleased with the event.

Afterward, when they went to leave on their journey to his home, Loki mounted his horse and said that he was riding ahead to make sure the hunting lodge they would stay in for the night was prepared for her arrival. Asrior bit back her disappointment, but told herself that he was being kind by giving her time to adjust to her new status by being alone.

Indeed, the trip across Nidvellier's mountains into Skornheim was long; and because carriage she rode in was opulent, she was able to nap in comfort for much of the way. She had slept little in the days leading to the wedding; and Asrior was well rested and in a much better mood in regards to Loki's actions when she arrived at the little cottage where she was to spend her first night as a married woman.

Lights lit the plain, white-painted house from within, and as the carriage drew to a stop, Asrior was charmed by what she saw. And a gangly man with a short beard appeared from the house and came to open the carriage.

"This way my lady," he wheezed, nodding toward the cottage's large wooden door. "I'm Jan, caretaker here. The master is waiting inside."

He opened the home's front door for her, smiling and nodding as she went through, and then left to gather her few things from the carriage. Asrior stood in the hallway, not knowing what to do. She was looking around at the simplicity of the cottage's interior when Loki's voice came from a room to her right.

"This way, Asrior. Jan should have told you where I was."

She moved toward the sound of him, stopping just inside the room where he was standing; Loki was at a large table, arranging plates of food on its wide expanse. He had taken off his armor and was dressed in his plain tunic, and the look he gave her over her shoulder made her heart do funny things again.

"I'm probably making a mess of this," he muttered, and he sounded as unsure as he looked at the spread before him. "Jan's wife usually takes care of this kind of thing, but she's with her daughter, who is apparently having her tenth child."

"I'm sure it's fine," Asiror said, not moving, for her knees suddenly felt weak. "Ten children?"

Loki was muttering, "I'm sure the food is fine, even if it's simple. Jan's a decent cook." He turned to look at her, his face unreadable. "But you might have expected more."

"I would rather think you expected more," she said, moving toward the table. The room was as sparsely decorated as the hall. It held the large table and wooden benches, and a few chairs sat by a fireplace. The floor held no rug, and the walls were bare. "This is hardly how a prince of Asgard must expect to spend his wedding night."

He looked around. "I rather like this place, but it is meant to be simple, for we hunt here. But it was a convenient place to stop for our journey."

Asrior wished that he would touch her, that he would take her hand as he had that morning. But Loki was moving to a side table, saying, "In any case, there's more than enough wine to go with our supper."

And so they began their first night together, sitting at the large and simple table eating the plain roasted meat Jan had made, and the soft bread that went with it. They drank the wine too, and after a while, Loki seemed to relax. Their conversation grew easier, and when they moved to the fruit Jan sat out in pewter bowls, Loki poured even more wine for both of them.

When he handed her a peach, her new husband smiled and watched as she bit into it; then he lifted his goblet and tilted it toward the one that sat before her.

"How is it being married, Asrior?"

"I am still figuring that out." She said, wondering how her father would react when he discovered what she'd done. Picking up her own glass, she asked quietly, "You are pleased?"

"Yes." He touched his goblet to hers, then drank deeply from it, and his eyes were shining when he sat it on the table. "Very much so."

Her stomach was in knots again, for it was very dark out now. It would be time to retire to bed soon, and her worries about what was to come next were suddenly back to taunt her. She was not concerned about lying with him—not much, for though she had never done such before, the memory of their kiss was enough to reassure her that she would enjoy the event.

No, she was suddenly worried about her body, about how he would feel when seeing her scars for the first time. Looking at him made her feel such pleasure, and she suddenly wished with all of her heart that she could somehow make him feel the same—but such hope was a child's dream thanks to Valtur's cursed whip. She worried that his reaction to what lay beneath her dress would not be pleasant.

And when she put her cup down, her hands moved to twist in her lap.

Loki, watching her, lifted a corner of his mouth and said, "I think it's time you retired. We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow, so we should not be up too late."

"Oh." She looked at him, willing her face to remain serene. "Where am I to go?"

"The main bedroom is at the top of the stairs," he said, his smile reassuring. "Jan will have taken your bags there. Go. I'll give you time to clean up. You must feel very dusty after such a long journey."

Hoping desperately that her face wasn't too pink, Asrior stood. "Thank you. I could do with… Well…" She grimaced. "I am not doing this very well."

He laughed outright. "You really should not worry. Even if there was a need, the act of worrying does not make things any better."

"That's useful," she muttered, throwing him a dark look. And she reached for her glass and took another long drink of wine. "I'm going, then."

She felt slightly woozy as she turned to head toward hallway, and when she as she made it to the door, she looked at him one more time, seeking reassurance.

But Loki was pouring more wine, and though his eyes were looking at the goblet, it was as though his thoughts were far away.

The feeling Asrior had when she mounted the stairs and headed for their room was far from comforting.


	6. Chapter 5-The consequences of conviction

A/N-Thanks to for the reviews, and for following the story! It makes me want to write more. I know I say it every time, but it's true.

I have to apologize for this being later than I'd planned. The chapter was easier than I thought it would be to write, but time was hard to come by this past week. And this is a very important chapter (it's the end of 'part 1' basically), so I wanted to make sure I got things right before I posted it.

A quick warning: This chapter is rated M for a reason. There's what's an 'adult situation' or lemon or whatever (I'm not sure why the lemon term came about, but that's for tumblr). I'm not writing anything overly explicit here, but I'm not glossing over anything either. I'll expand on this a bit more *after* this chapter, but just a warning. If you don't want to read about 'adult sits', that's totally cool. Just read up until the paragraph that ends "...with the causal display of his power." and then do a word search for 'She did not know how long' and continue reading from there. You'll miss the 'adult' stuff there but will know enough to figure out what happened. This chapter isn't something you can miss...it's important to the plot. So just skip the stuff you don't want to read and don't miss out on other things.

Finally, I have several reviews that I'd like to respond to. I've edited the heck out of this chappie, but after I reread it and re-edit (as I always do once I post it, because I find mistakes), I'll add my comments to you at the end of the chapter. I'd do it before the chapter, but some of my comments are a bit spoilery since some of you ask very...good...questions.

Enjoy! And thank you for reading!

**Chapter 5—The consequences of conviction**

* * *

Asrior had never planned on marriage. Her lot was supposed to have been different.

If she were lucky, she would have escaped with Kagoq to an isolated place where they could live in obscurity—or at least as much obscurity available to a half-breed elf and a dwarf. And if by some chance she did marry, it was supposed to be to someone of Valtur's choosing. Even right now, she could have been in Jerrick's chambers, waiting with dread for his eventual assault.

Instead, she was newly wed to Loki Laufeyson, prince of Asgard, son of Jotunheim, and God of Mischief and Lies. And as she awaited the arrival of her husband in a large and plainly furnished room, she rehearsed a speech about how she had not meant to deceive him about her scars.

"I couldn't tell you before, Loki," she muttered under her breath as she stepped from the room's bath and headed for one of the trunks that held her sparse belongings. "No…no, no, no. I should remind him that we're married. He cannot get _too_ furious with his wife on his wedding night."

And she opened the trunk and reached beneath her new dresses for a nightgown made of fine woven cloth and trimmed with hand-crocheted lace. It was styled very simply, for the dressmaker had not had time to make anything more elaborate, but the materials were truly splendid.

She slid the towel she had wrapped around her off and began saying, "I couldn't tell you about the scars before, husband, because my father…"

Asrior slid the gown over her head.

"…my father is a monster who cut out Kagoq's tongue to punish me…"

Pausing, she knelt and carefully placed the folded blue dress she'd worn that day into the trunk, laying it next to the book Loki had given her.

"…and when he did so, he cursed me in such a way that I cannot speak of this to anyone who has not seen the physical proof of his abuse. You are the first person since Kagoq who has seen or known what was done to me."

Her hand moved to the purple covered book of illustrations that she prized so highly, her fingers gently tracing the embroidery that decorated the richly-colored cloth.

"Indeed, I am probably fortunate that such a curse existed, for Valtur was very careful not to scar where someone might see. I would have been of no use to him then, and I would still be on Svartalfheim."

Sighing, she closed the trunk's lid and stood, moving toward a small dressing that had a mirror mounted on the wall above it.

She stared at her reflection for a moment. The room was dim, for only a small torch was lit, and the only other light came from the small fireplace across the room; despite the shadows that covered her face, she could see that it was pale against the vivid color of her hair.

And Asrior closed her eyes, whispering, "But I am not there, I am here instead; and now that you have seen my scars, I will tell you everything that happened and hope that you understand my unintended deception."

_For I need to find Kagoq, and I need your help to do so. And I am tired of being alone with this. _

She opened her eyes and grimaced, frustrated at the sudden despondence that filled her. It was her wedding night, and she should be glad that for better or worse everything would be in the open.

Turning, she began to walk toward the fireplace, forcing herself to think happier thoughts. She told herself that everything would be alright, and that it was only natural to be nervous. Loki was her friend, and though he was volatile at times, he had shown a willingness to listen to her. He had said that he would do so when the time came, and surely that time was now. He also was of two worlds, as she was, with a father it was said he hated, and that should give him—well, sympathy wasn't the right word to use, not with the god she married—but it should give him insight into her life.

And as her hands moved to the braid that fell over her shoulder to unwind it, the door to the bedroom opened.

All of her happier thoughts and good intentions flew from her mind when she twirled around to watch as Loki stepped into the room and shut the door behind him.

He was dressed in a long, silken robe instead of armor, and his pale skin seemed to glow against the dark green of the material. Asrior's eyes moved along his face, from his glittering eyes to the elegant cut of his jaw to his neck, and her hands stilled on her hair.

Suddenly her legs felt funny and it was hard to stand.

"Hello," he said, moving forward. "I used another room to clean up—I thought you might like the privacy."

Blinking, she stared at him, for his voice seemed to reverberate inside of her; and when she spoke, all she managed was, "Oh," and her hands began to move on her braid again.

Loki was suddenly standing in front of her, and she raised her eyes to his, willing her face to stay calm when she admitted, "I really am not sure what to say now."

One of his hands was on hers, then, stopping her movements on her hair, and he said, "Leave it."

Surprised, she slowly lowered her hands, and her stomach knotted, though she could not tell if it was with fear or excitement.

Probably it was both.

Her new husband glanced at the bed and said, "You don't need to say anything right now if you don't want to. Go on and get into bed."

She did as she was told, though she barely remembered how she'd gotten there once she lay under the covers. And once there, she watched as Loki waved a hand, and when the lone torch on the wall flickered out, a part of her was fascinated with the causal display of his power.

Another part of her shivered as he neared. The room was near dark, and she could not read his expression as he approached. But she felt the weight of him on the mattress when he sat on the bed and removed his robe; he must have done something to the fire, for the light grew even dimmer, and she felt the odd coolness of him as he stretched out beside her.

She vaguely wondered why he had not talked more when he'd entered their room. They'd done so much talking by the lake, and he said that he enjoyed talking to her, so why was he so silent now? Surely a few well-chosen words would help put her at ease…

And then she his hand was on her hip, and he moved it, sliding it to her waist, and Asrior realized that talking wasn't really that important, not now. The feeling of his hand through her thin nightdress made her want to shiver, and when he shifted and she felt his lips on her neck, she almost gasped at the feeling.

It was as though a Peryton had taken up residence inside of her and was flapping its wings against her ribcage; his mouth moved up to her jawline, and she put her hands on his shoulders as her eyes drifted shut. His touching her felt so nice and terrifying at the same time, and she thought that it might help if she knew better what to do.

Oh, she knew what happened between a man and a woman during sex. If the rather humiliating lessons on that subject back on Svartalfheim had not taught her, living in such close quarters with Valtur while at court would have been more than enough—she had been unable to shut out the sounds whenever one of Asgard's sneering goddesses had agreed to rut with him.

But she didn't know what to _do._ She wanted to make Loki feel what she did, and surely he expected her to do more than lie still. Should she run her hands along his waist as he had done to her? His back was certainly accessible from this position, but what she _really_ wanted to do was put her mouth on his neck, as he had done…

"Loki," she breathed, thinking that she could just ask him what he wanted. "I don't know what I sh…"

But he made a sound in his throat and grunted, "Hush," before his mouth moved to the corner of hers, and then on it, driving all thought away. There was only the feel of him. When she opened her mouth, the kiss remained light, almost tentative; and when he shifted so that his body was over hers, Asrior automatically opened her legs so that he could rest between them.

He slowly lowered his weight onto her. He was heavy, but the feel of him was so pleasant that she moaned into his mouth; and then he pressed into her even more, and the kiss grew deeper and not cautious at all.

It was lush and unending, and it made her knees bend so that her toes could dig into the mattress. She could taste wine and sunshine and heat, and she craved more. Her hands clenched at his back, because he wasn't close enough, and then one of them moved to his hair, her fingers running along his scalp and then raking through the strands that fell against his neck—strands so unexpectedly soft that she moaned again.

The sound seemed to do something to him, for Loki moved suddenly, lifting his head and body slightly so that Asrior began to protest. But his hand was moving from her waist to her breast, and his mouth was on hers again, even more forceful this time; and when his thumb began brushing over her nipple, she tried to match the intensity of his kisses, and she twisted her fingers into his hair, not knowing how hard she pulled until his head jerked away from her again and he growled, "Stop."

He shifted his body to the side and reached back, pulling her hands away from his hair; he gripped her wrists in one hand and pushed her arms over her head and into the mattress, his hold so tight that it hurt.

Asrior briefly worried that she'd pulled his hair too hard or had somehow offended him, and thought that he was stopping. But his other hand was tugging at her nightdress, lifting the skirt over her legs, and her breath caught in her throat when she realized that he was about to know the truth. She wanted to say something, to give him a warning as to what he would find, but she froze and waited for him to lift the dress higher.

But Loki stopped and moved his hand again, letting go of the gown to leave it bunched at her waist. She felt the cool touch of his hand against the bare skin of her hip, and he grunted when he realized that she had not worn undergarments. And then one of her legs was pushed further to the side, and he was there, starting to push inside of her.

Her entire body tensed, though the sensation of allowing someone into her body wasn't bad at first, just unfamiliar; and as he moved deeper, Asrior began to relax. She could feel her body stretching as he filled her, and though the feeling grew tighter and more uncomfortable, it didn't hurt.

Then Loki pushed fully into her; her hands jerked against the one that held them down, for suddenly there was nothing but sharp and burning pain at the point of his intrusion. She didn't make a sound beyond a small huff, for she was so accustomed to enduring hurt in silence that it did not cross her mind to let him know how it felt. And when he began moving and she thought that he was going to break her in half, years of experience taught her how to remove her mind from what was happening to her body.

But as she began to drift away, Asrior tore herself back to what was happening. This was Loki, her husband, and she wanted to experience every part of this, even the pain, for it was a normal part of mating for the first time. So she moved her eyes to his face, and tried concentrate on him rather than the ache.

He was so pale in the near-darkness, and she could see that his eyes were closed as though in deep concentration, and as she watched him, she realized that the burning sensation was starting to ease. Asrior wished he would let her hands go so that she could touch his face; but he groaned, and his body grew stiff and still, and she felt something warm deep inside of her.

Loki's eyes opened after a moment, and she saw the dim firelight glitter in his cool green eyes before he released her wrists and rolled from her body. He moved so that he was sitting, and as he pulled his robe back onto him, Asrior moved her hand toward him, to touch him.

"You should get some rest," he said, his voice gruff, and he slid from the bed and tied the belt at his waist. "We have a long way to go tomorrow. I'll be up for a while yet, for there is more planning ahead of me."

Her hand fell onto the bed.

He gave her a half glance over his shoulder and murmured something that sounded like "good night." Asrior thought that she should say something, anything, but before her mind could form words, he had moved into the hall and was shutting the bedroom door.

She did not know how long she stared at the door after it shut behind him, but at some point, she realized that she was sprawled on the bed with her skirt up to her waist. She could feel his seed leaking onto her thighs, and there was probably blood, too.

She was stunned and more than a little confused, but it did not occur to her to be hurt or angry or worried about his behavior, not yet. The only thing that kept going through her mind was that—in all of the scenarios she had imagined as she'd waited for Loki—his bedding her without seeing her scars was one that had never occurred to her.

….

When Asrior woke the next morning, the place on the bed beside her was empty. The bedclothes were rumpled, but she was still not sure if Loki had slept beside her.

She had lain awake a long time after he'd left, long after she'd pulled her skirt down and slid from the bed in search of towels to use to clean herself. She'd taken her nightdress off and placed it carefully in her trunk, for it was stained with large splotches of blood. And when she moved back to the bed, she was wearing the old nightdress she'd worn when she'd stayed with Geror.

At some point, she must have fallen asleep.

And now, when she moved to look at the windows to see how high the sun was in the sky, her lower body protested. She was tender there, but it wasn't truly painful. She was used to bearing much worse.

Asrior was about to slide from the bed when someone knocked on the door, and her heart fluttered—it was Loki coming in to wake her, she thought, and her hands nervously went to her hair as she softly called out, "It is alright to come in."

But it was Jan's voice that greeted her. "I wanted to tell you that breakfast awaits downstairs, my lady," he answered loudly, not opening the door. "The master'll be in from the stables soon. I thought you might like a moment to fix yourself up before meeting him."

"Thank you, Jan," she said, but it sounded as though his footsteps were already moving toward the stairs.

Sighing, she moved to the bath, her hands undoing the mess that was her braid, trying not to think of how unsettled she felt.

Things were supposed to have been dealt with the night before, with everything in the open. Instead, her mind was racing, wondering why Loki had been so…so _impersonal_ about last night and so distant.

She found her brush and began untangling the long red hair that fell over her shoulders, ignoring the small mirror on the wall, wondering if she'd ever manage to find Kagoq and then wondering what was wrong with her husband.

A wedding night was not something she'd ever dreamed about, given her circumstanced, but she knew enough to know that Loki should have acted differently—husbands surely acted differently when they first lay with their wives, even if the marriage wasn't based on sentiment.

He had hardly spoken to her. He hadn't…well, he hadn't been rough, but he certainly hadn't been gentle. And he'd left so quickly when he was done, leaving her alone to wander about the cold and dark room to clean up the sticky mess on her legs, and…

And maybe he was unused to attending to a female after sex. He was a prince of Asgard, after all, unused to anyone touching him without permission much less saying his name without leave. He also was a god with a certain reputation for callousness, so his actions could very well be normal for him. Maybe things would get better when they were at Okershall, once he was accustomed to having a wife. The journey over the mountains had been tiring, too, so perhaps what her husband needed was time.

Feeling a little better, she tied her hair back with a plain ribbon, and quickly looked through the handful of new dresses in her trunk. The journey would take most of the day, but she wanted to look nice when she arrived at Loki's home and met his people. She finally chose a leaf green dress trimmed at the neck with darker green velvet and headed out of the room.

When she was on the stairwell, she heard the lodge's front door open, and then Loki was walking into the hall, dressed in his armor. When he saw her on the steps, he smiled.

"Good morning, Asrior. Did you sleep well?"

Heartened, she gave him a small smile in return.

"I am well rested," she said, moving down the stairs toward him and ignoring the nerves that twisted her stomach into knots. "I trust you were not up too late."

He made a sound instead of answering, and when she reached the foot of the steps, he gestured toward the room where they'd eaten the night before.

"Jan's laid out more food. Are you hungry? You should eat your fill, for we will ride for hours after this."

It was her turn to make a sound instead of answering, for Asrior was finding everything about him decidedly odd.

They had just been _married_. It had only been hours since his body had been joined with hers, and he had touched her in ways no one had ever done before. She didn't know what to expect, but she didn't expect him to chatter about food, or…

"It's a glorious day outside," he said as he followed her into the dining room.

…or the weather.

"Is it?" she asked weakly as she sat down, watching him. Loki had moved to the opposite side of the table from her. "I had not noticed."

She knew he wouldn't greet her with a passionate embrace—theirs was not a relationship like that, but shouldn't he at least touch her?

"Mmmm," he said, sitting down and eyeing the platters set before him. "It will make travelling easier. There's often rain on this side of the mountain range this time of year."

"Oh."

Loki didn't seem to notice her near silence—he was serving himself from the platter closest to him.

Her heart sinking again, Asrior looked at the food. Jan had laid out fruit and pastries and bread and meat, but her mouth felt as though dust were coating it. She did not want to eat.

But she took an apple and a piece of bread to be polite, for the caretaker had woken early to prepare their meal; and as she picked at the bread, not tasting it, she watched her husband, who was focused intently on his plate.

As though he felt her eyes on him, Loki looked up suddenly, his hand stopping with the fork held halfway to his mouth. He sighed after a moment and put his hand down, saying, "I should apologize. I'm afraid I'm not quite sure how to conduct conversation with one's wife. You probably expect…different."

Asrior put the bread down. "I don't know what to expect. I know we have not known each other long, but you are like a stranger now. It is rather intimidating."

He arched a brow. "What's different about me?"

"I don't know." She shook her head, feeling helpless. "You don't talk to me like you used to."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she grimaced, and Loki smirked. "Already with the nagging?"

"You know what I mean. It was easier, before," she huffed. "I do not know what to say to you."

He sat back in his chair and lifted a finger to his mouth, placing the side of it along his lips as he regarded intently. And after a moment, he reached for one of the peaches and said, "So ask me something. Anything. What do you want to know about me?"

Surprised, Asrior searched her mind for a question, shaking her head a little as she did so. "I'm not sure…"

"You're not curious about anything? Really?"

Of course she was curious. She wanted to know what his palace was like. She wondered about the people who lived on the lands there, and the woman he had once thought to marry. She was aching to ask him everything he knew about Sif, and if he knew where Kagoq was, and she wanted to hear more stories from his childhood. She was extremely interested in his opinions on scars caused by black magic.

She started with the easiest.

"I would like to hear more about Okershall."

Loki nodded.

"All right. What do you want to know about?"

"Well…" She remembered the little cottage she'd lived in with Birgitta, and the dark fortress on Svartalfheim. "Tell me what it looks like."

He thought for a moment. "It's very old. There's a new part added on that contains family quarters, but the original castle was built long ago, even before my birth. It is made of stone…a grayish white stone from the mountain range that straddles Ringsfjord and Nornheim. The addition is much like the royal palace of Asgard, but less…_less_ you could say. But it is beautiful. The sight of the gold of the newer wing against the ancient keep never fails to please."

A corner of her mouth lifted, for he sounded fond of his home. "Tell me more. Who added on to the old castle?"

And he began telling her the history of Okershall, eventually touching on some of the people who lived there. Asrior listened quietly, asking few questions, until Jan entered the room with news that their baggage was loaded and that it was time to depart.

"Your horse is waiting, my lord," the caretaker said, before turning to shuffle toward the door.

Asrior, who was putting her cloak on, asked, "Oh…you're not riding in the carriage?"

"I have to ride ahead again," Loki answered, glancing at her.

She tried very hard to keep her disappointment from her face.

"It will make it easier if I arrive at the palace first, for there is much that needs arranging for your arrival to my home," he explained. "And you will enjoy resting in the carriage."

"Oh," she said again, and could not help herself when she added, "I imagine I will be the most rested wife in the entire history of Okershall."

But Loki did not notice her sarcasm, for he was already moving out the door as she spoke.

….

The ride was indeed long, though it was not as tiresome as the journey through the mountains had been. As they left the hills that the lodge sat in, they drove across great plains filled with forests and dotted with farmland and villages.

Asrior watched from the window, exceedingly curious as to the lands in which her new husband ruled. They began the journey in Skornheim, but quickly passed into Hindi, and she could see the mystic mountain Zanadu in the distance.

At midday, the carriage stopped near Hindi's border with Ringsfjord, in a mid-sized village that reminded her much of Priekk. The streets were wide and dusty, and people brown from the sun bustled in and out of wood and stone buildings.

"This way, my lady," the driver was saying, leading her into a rambling inn that appeared to be a stopping place for travelers as well as many of the village's residents.

"Where are we?" she asked, following him.

"Kotal is the name of this village," he answered, and he pointed to the snow-topped mountain range that loomed over the village. "Those are the Hindi mountains, and this is the valley of the Vakhan. Glaciers can be found up there, said to be a remnant of the wars with Jotunheim; and landslides sometimes threaten the people here."

As she sat in the inn to eat a quick meal, she wondered if the villagers distrusted Loki because of his frost giant blood.

The villagers themselves paid little attention to her, even when she took down her hood. Her ears were concealed by her hair, and her cloak covered the fine cloth of her dress. They ignored the woman sitting by herself and continued their gossip, and much of it centered on the god that had rode through the village just hours before on his horse.

"…about time he made his way back here," a woman near Asrior was grumbling. She was speaking loudly, for the babe she held in her arms was crying and two toddlers hung onto her chair clamoring for attention. "He's been gone too long."

Her companion took one of the toddlers, a little boy, onto her lap and tried to feed him a bit of soup. "If Thor's own men can't stop the dark elf attacks, what do you think Loki can do?" She sniffed, sounding disdainful. "Him and his tricks are nothing to good, old fashioned might."

Asrior's back automatically stiffened at the insult to her husband, but the other woman was saying, "Now, Roya, that's not fair. At least Loki concerns himself with us once the attacks are finished. It's men from Ringsfjord that just arrived to help Tarik Firdousson rebuild his farm. Thor's soldiers left along with the elves when the attack was over."

A tug at her skirt took distracted her, and looking down, she saw that the woman's other child, a little girl, was clinging to her cloak. When she saw that she had Asrior's attention, she reached up, her voice excited as she said, "Ouah!"

Wholly unaccustomed to being around children, Asrior had no idea what to do with the child, but the little girl was insistent, jumping and reaching for whatever it was she wanted.

"What is it?" she asked bending down, unsure of what to do. "You should go to your mother."

But the toddler was trying to climb onto Asrior's lap, and though she tried to gently push the little girl away, the child managed to push herself up and grasp what she was reaching for—a mass of Asrior's bright red hair.

"Ouah!"

The girl tugged so hard that Asrior's hair feel from its ribbon, and then the child's mother was there, trying to pull her away.

"I'm so sorry. 'Ouah' is how she says bright…she likes bright things," the woman was saying, looking very embarrassed. "She doesn't know any better…"

The little girl didn't want to let go of the hair she had grasped in her hands, and she protested loudly when her mother tried to pull her away. The other toddler was laughing, and the babe, who was in a basket on the floor, was crying even louder.

"It's alright," Asrior assured her, noticing that everyone in the room seemed to be looking at them. And she grabbed her hair and tried to take it away from girl's grasp.

And then the mother gave a great tug and the child let go, protesting loudly by letting out shrill shrieks.

"I'm so sorry," the woman was saying again, trying to still the girl, who was wiggling as she squawked. She looked around, mortified when she noticed the attention they were receiving. "She's usually not like this."

Feeling as self-conscious as the other woman looked, Asrior said, "It's alright. She did no harm." And as she pulled her hair back to retie it with the ribbon, she tried to reassure her, "She's just a babe, isn't she? What is her name?"

But the woman didn't look embarrassed any more.

She was staring, her eyes wide with shock, and her companion moved to her side, holding the little boy behind her skirts as though to hide him.

Asrior realized that she had exposed her ears while trying to tie her hair back.

"Take Zarrin, Roya," the girl's mother said, thrusting the child at the other woman. Her eyes never left Asrior, and her lips were thin when she said, "Leave."

She didn't know if the woman spoke to her or her companion, and looking around in dismay, Asrior saw that the amused looks of the crowd had turned hostile. The familiar hissing sound of angry whispers began, and then someone behind her barked, "Who let elf rubbish in here?"

The coachman suddenly appeared and put his hand on Asrior's elbow, muttering, "We need to go, my lady. Come on."

And as he led her though the crowd, she saw the sneers like those she had endured at court.

"Is that… is she a dark elf?" a young man asked as she passed, and the barmaid next to him answered, her voice scornful, "She's not of Alfheim, that one. Light elves have even bigger ears and smaller bodies. Dark elves are closer to our size."

The noise of the crowd grew, and Asrior hastily pulled the hood over her head and locked her eyes on the floor. Someone pushed into her, jostling her so that she almost tripped, and the coachman's grasp on her arm tightened.

"Almost out," he muttered, and then growled at someone else. "Move aside. This elf is not the cause of your problems here."

And then they were through the door and warm sunlight was on her again.

Asrior found herself almost pushed into the carriage, and the coachman, looking highly relieved, said, "I'm sorry about that, my lady. I half forgot what you are. You will find it easier if you keep your ears covered. "

She wanted to shriek as loudly as the toddler and shout that she was more of Asgard than anything; but she nodded instead as he slammed the door shut, and when the carriage began to move, she realized that she was shaking. The people at court had been antagonistic, but they had never scared her. Valtur's presence and the king's favor ensured there would be no aggression toward them.

What happened in the inn was different. It was raw and dangerous.

Shouts drew her attention to the windows, and she saw that boys were running alongside the carriage. A rock hit the door, and though the driver spurred the horses faster, Asrior hastily pulled the shades down so that she was encased in near-darkness.

They rode hard for what seemed like hours until finally the carriage slowed down; and then they stopped, and the coachman was opening the door. He peered inside and asked, "Are you alright, ma'am?"

She nodded, and he looked grim. "I wish we'd have had one of the royal coaches. That would have shut their mouths at least. We're in Ringsfjord now, so you can pull the shades back up…just keep your hair down over your ears."

They began moving again, and Asrior cracked one of the shades. The land they were travelling through looked the same as before, though there were more farms—some of which had fields that lay fallow. And as they moved on toward Okershall, she began to see the shells of burnt out cottages and barns, and even some of the forests were tinged with soot.

After a while, she forced herself to pull the shade back down and lie against the carriage's seat. She tried to rest—tried to not think about how Loki should have ridden with her—and eventually she fell into a restless sleep.

She did not know how long she was out, but the next thing she knew, the coachman was at the door again, peering in at her.

Asrior pushed herself up and blinked, noticing that the sun was setting. "Are we here?" she asked, her voice still rough with sleep.

"We're close," he said kindly. And she noticed that though his face was smooth, his hair was thin and grey with age. "I thought you might like a little warning before we reach the castle."

She sat all the way up then, suddenly alert, and her hands moved automatically to smooth out her skirts. "Thank you," she said, giving him a grateful look. "You have been very helpful. Do you work for my husband?"

He dipped his head. "Ever since he came to Okershall, my lady. I served his father before him. My name's Ulvgeir."

"You have been very helpful today, Ulvgeir."

The man simply nodded, saying, "We'll be there soon," before shutting the door.

And so she lifted the shades, and tied her hair back again, though she was careful to keep her ears covered. Her dress was wrinkled, but not too badly, she thought; and then when she had done what she could for her appearance, she sat and looked out the windows, trying to calm her raging nerves.

It had been a most trying day—two days, actually, and so many emotions were whirring within her. The thought of facing Loki again was daunting, but she was more than ready to be done with the journey. The villager's anger had frightened her, and she was tired and hungry, too. But she was curious about the people she'd meet in the castle, and something close to excitement was building in her as they neared their destination.

She lifted the window and leaned out slightly, smelling the woods that they were driving through. The land here was less scarred than that which they'd previously traveled, and when the road left the woods and entered into a large dale, and her breath caught, for she caught sight of a golden and white castle on a hill ahead of them.

It was beautiful.

It was as Loki described, with gilded spires and arches fading almost seamlessly into the mellow-colored stone of the keep. Large trees lined the road the led to it, and wildflowers bloomed on the slope of the hill. And as the carriage drew near, Asrior saw that a soft-gold light made the castle's enormous window's glow in the fading light, and then she noticed that ivy and roses climbed the part made with stone.

Okershall was beyond anything she had dreamed of.

When they stopped, she didn't wait for Ulvgeir to open the door; she had it half-opened herself by the time he had climbed from his own perch, and she could barely make herself wait to run to the castle's massive main doors.

But she allowed the old coachman to lead her to the entrance, and when the door opened and a thin man with hair almost as black as Loki's stepped out, she waited patiently to be introduced to him.

"This is Emil, Master of the Keep," Ulvgeir explained, bowing to the other man.

Nerves were battling with her excitement, and Asrior clasped her hands together, trying not to let her emotions show. "Hello Emil. I am pleased to meet you."

The servant merely nodded, then glanced at Ulvgeir and said, "You can bring her bags inside."

And he pushed open the door so she could enter the castle.

Her heart fluttering, Asrior stepped through the doorway and tried to paste a pleasant look on her face for the servants who would be waiting inside. She wondered if they knew their new mistress was of dark elf blood, and wondered if they'd mind that she had no idea what to do or how to act as Loki's wife.

But the hall she stepped into, though much more opulent than the one of the hunting lodge, was empty.

The door closed behind her with a dull thud, and Emil was saying, "My lord is this way." And he did not wait to see if she followed before striding through an archway to the left of the entry and down a long hall.

Surprised, Asrior followed, her excitement dimming rapidly. She'd expected Loki to greet her at the door, and for servants to be lined up to be introduced to their master's wife. But the place was almost deserted. Nothing was going as she'd thought it would, and the entire experience was highly disturbing.

Emil was opening another large door, and his face was impassive as he turned to her.

"You can go inside."

And then he was walking back down the hall without a backward glance.

Asrior took a deep breath and stepped into the room.

The first thing she noticed was the massive bookcases lining the walls, lit by large, glittering torches. Huge, multi-paned windows flanked a fireplace that dominated one end of the room, and near it stood a heavy wooden desk…and her husband.

Loki leaned against the edge of the desk, as though waiting for her, and when their eyes met, he said, "Come in, Asrior. I trust your journey was well?"

She moved forward, clasping her hands together to still their agitation.

"Well enough," she muttered, deciding not to tell him about the incident in the village just yet. Things were strange enough, and she did not want start of by sounding as though she was complaining about the people he ruled.

So she moved so that she stood before him, and the eyes that met his were calm. Loki lifted a corner of his mouth and said, "Why don't you sit? Unless you're tired of sitting."

"No, it's fine," she said, looking around and settling on a small, velvet-covered chair near the desk. After she lowered herself to it, she asked, "How was your journey?"

"The ride was swift, which was what I wanted."

She nodded and thought how similar it was to the morning, when she had not known what to say. If he mentioned the weather, she would scream.

But Loki was smiling down at her from his position against the desk. "It will be a little while before supper is served. I thought we might continue our conversation from this morning."

"That would be nice," she said, her face brightening a little, and in her nervous state, she began to chatter. "Driving up to the castle…seeing it for the first time… It was how you described. The gold and the stone and… I look forward to meeting the people here. Ulvgeir was very kind."

"Was he?" He almost sounded surprised, but his expression was bland.

"Yes, he was especially helpful when we stopped to eat," she said, her hands twisting, and she thought about the inn in Hindi. "I hope that the others are like him."

Loki made a sound in his throat as though agreeing with her, but didn't say anything. And Asrior, forcing her hands to still, remembered something he'd said during one of their talks, and she continued, "And… well, when I think about the people here… Well, I was wondering something."

She paused, and he watched her carefully and said, "What? You can ask me anything, and I will answer truthfully." His voice was soft, and he was probably trying to calm her, for her apprehensive state must be obvious to him. "I simply ask that you do me the same."

Her eyes were grateful when she glanced up at him, and her question came out in a rush.

"Why did you want to marry?"

He frowned slightly. "I told you…I need to make a political alliance, and you are not…"

"No," she interrupted, shaking her head a little. "I know why you married me. I know why you courted Hallerna. Why did you want to marry before? To the woman that lives in Ringsfjord?"

Loki was silent, and though his face remained impassive, she should tell he was hiding something stronger behind the cool look he gave her.

She persisted, "Why did you choose the woman you courted then?"

"Surely you are not jealous?" he began, scoffing. "That was a long time ago and entirely different than our arrangement. I fail to see…"

"You are deflecting," she pointed out quietly, holding firm; and though the thought of the other woman made her feel uncomfortable, she insisted, "I am not jealous. But I wish to know, for I wish to know you. And if she is still in Ringsfjord, it would be wise to know more, should I ever meet her. I do not like entering situations without full understanding of… well, of what or who I am facing."

His face didn't move, but his shoulder twitched; and a smile that was almost bitter touched his lips. "I doubt you will ever have cause to meet Vedis. But I will tell you…I wanted to wed her because she forgave me."

Asrior's head tilted and her brow knit in confusion. "You injured her somehow? Or…"

"No. I did nothing, not to her." He shifted as though uncomfortable, but his expression remained unrevealing. "When I returned from Midgard and was made to pay for my crimes, I was a pariah, Asrior. Only my family supported me, and even they, with the exception of my mother, were not _kind_, for lack of a better word. And though I deserved it—all of it—it did not make it any easier to live with. And it was worse when I was let out of prison."

His voice was harder, and his eyes held the faraway look she'd seen when she first met him.

"I was let loose because I made a deal with Thor. My brother needed me, needed my knowledge of the worlds I discovered when I fell into the abyss. We had to find a way to defeat Malekith and that damned demon-elf, Kurse, you see; and when we did that, when we killed them all, I was let go of my sentence entirely. The people of this realm did not exactly rejoice."

"Despite your help in the war?"

"Despite that, for I had been friend to your kind before. My motives were not trusted."

"What did they do?" she asked, though she knew what his answered would be.

"I was whispered about, sneered at—_spit_ at when I rode through the city by those who claimed I'd manipulated Malekith because I hoped for Odin's death. They said my mother's death was my fault. But Vedis was different. She stood up for me. She forgave me for what I'd done before and trusted that I had…changed."

"And were you changed?" Asrior whispered.

"I was starting to." He was looking at her again, his thoughts in the present. "I was still very angry at everyone. She made me less angry."

Swallowing a lump her throat, she managed, "Vedis… Vedis must be an extraordinary goddess. I can understand why you wished to marry her."

Loki actually laughed, and his eyes were hard. "Yes, but she did not want me. The great irony is that it was my giving her up so freely that convinced my brother and those closest to him that I was truly reformed."

"I'm sorry it did not work out, though. It must have been very difficult to see her wed to someone else." she said, meaning it, but he waved a hand.

"Do not concern yourself with my broken heart, for I can assure you, if such an organ beats in me, it is wholly intact. As I told you before, even then, I was aware of more practical matters." But something seemed to move in his voice when he added, "Still, I have a certain sentiment for her. A loyalty that I cannot deny."

His words did not make her feel better.

"Thank you for telling me. I'm sure it will be helpful," she said, and was about to sit up from her chair and ask if she could get cleaned up when he stopped her.

"It's my turn now. I have questions of you."

Asrior sat still and nodded, tension coiling her stomach at his words. His eyes went to his hands for a moment, and when they turned back to her, it was as though they penetrated into her body.

"Who did you wait for in the villages?"

She just stared at him, and after a moment, he continued, "I hope you are not thinking of a way to distract me on this, for you are my wife now, Asrior. I demand honesty from you in all things."

And so, her heart jumping to her throat, she told him.

"I waited for Kagoq."

"Who?" he asked, but his eyes burned through her as though he tried to read her thoughts.

"The dwarf that was enslaved by my father and rescued my Odin's men. Kagoq is his name. I knew that he had been there, and I waited there for him to return."

Loki put his hands on his thighs and leaned forward. "Why?"

"Because of a debt," she said, trying to find words that she could use without having them stop in her throat. Her hands moved helplessly as she tried to explain. "You speak of loyalty…you will understand the debt I owe. Because… because we p… we…"

She could not continue, and tears of frustration filled her eyes, and she was about to scream with rage when his fist hit the desk, rattling the contents there and making her jump.

"Tell me, Asrior," he demanded, suddenly looking dangerous. "Spit it out."

"I can't," she snapped back, desperate and furious at her cursed tongue. "I _can't_. You do not understand… Later I will be able to, but…"

He was standing, towering over her, and her words faded at the look on his face. Instinct took over, and she willed her own expression into a wooden mask, hiding her fear and her rage so as not to provoke him.

"There is no later. You are my wife, you owe me your loyalty, not Valtur anymore. You will tell me now, Asrior, or I will _make you_," he snarled, his words cutting through her as though a knife.

"Try!" Her voice shook and she dared look him in the eye, and then she stood, telling herself that he was not her father, looking for an excused to fly into a rage and beat her. She could reason with him, get him to understand if she just talked enough. "Try to make me talk. You may not believe me, but I wish you would try to…"

Her words caught in her throat, but not because of any curse.

When Loki stood, he has moved away from the desk, and Asrior could see a pile in the middle of it, a pile made of coins and jewels topped by something that glittered in the torchlight—an opulent gold ring monogramed with a diamond 'S'.

The ground beneath her feet seemed to tilt.

"Thought you'd seen the last of those, did you, elf?" her husband mocked.

The room was spinning, but she could not tear her eyes away from the items that she'd so recently stolen.

"Where… where did you get all of that?"

She hadn't realized she'd spoken aloud until she heard Loki's answer.

"I bought the lot from a smithy in Priekk. Luckily, he'd melted only a few items before I got to him."

The first thing that went through her mind was Birgitta's chain, and though everything in her was screaming that she needed to run away, Asrior lunged for the desk. "No…"

He grabbed her before she'd taken more than two steps, his hand so hard around her wrist that she cried out.

"You will tell me why you waited for the dwarf," he said again, and the fact that his voice was so calm in the face of his expression terrified her.

"I told you, I _can't_." She tried to tug her wrist from him; and when his hand tightened more, she tried a different tactic, putting her hand over his and saying, "Loki, I beg you to listen…"

Her actions seemed to enrage him even more, and he pushed her away roughly and bit out, "Do not touch me again."

She was breathing hard, trying to find reason in his actions when it hit her.

"You… you tricked me." She inhaled sharply, her eyes growing wide with knowledge. "This has all been a lie. You knew when you first approached me."

The rage momentarily left his face, and he looked at her as though she'd just noticed that the sky was blue.

"Well… yes."

She just stared at him, stunned. "You…you said we were friends."

"And you believed me?" he asked, and he moved so that he towered above her. And when he saw the expression on her face, he smirked and mocked, "Did you like me, Asrior? Did you really think your conversations helped me? Did you think I enjoyed talking to you so much that I forgot who you are?"

He almost spit out the last part.

Shame filled her, for it was suddenly so obvious. She had been such a fool.

And it _hurt_, what he had done.

But Loki wasn't finished.

"The sad thing was it was so easy. It is pathetic how simple you are, Asrior of Svartalfheim. I have little regard for your kind, but I would have thought that Valtur's daughter would have put up more of a fight." His lip curled. "I was surprised to find you so weak."

"Why did you use me?" she demanded, refusing to show her humiliation, instead giving in to her growing rage. "_Why?"_

"To protect my people, and Asgard,"he snarled back at her, and never had he looked more dangerous. "For too many years Valtur has wreaked havoc on these lands! Did you think I'd allow you to help him scheme against my people? Do you know how much blood is on his hands?" He was hissing, looking so enraged that she stepped backwards to get away from him and bumped into the chair. "Do you have any idea what I cost I have paid because of his actions? So spare me your righteous indignation over my use of you, for at least I let you live."

Her mouth opened and then shut as she tried to find words to make him see reason, and she shook her head for a second before finally croaking, "I did none of these things to you."

"And Vedis did nothing to your father."

"Wha…" she began, and then stopped, for nausea was rising in her throat. "He… He ki…"

"He killed so many that he probably doesn't remember when he gave the order to burn her house down…with her inside."

Asrior closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing, for she was about to get violently ill.

"His men wouldn't let anyone out of the house. Or anyone in, including her husband, who would have died with her if he'd been allowed. Your father likes to torture, you see."

She wanted to cry and to tell him that she _did see_ and to beg him to see as well.

But she could only manage, "Was her husband killed after?"

She heard Loki's snort of derision. "No. But no thanks to the elves. We found him barely alive next to the rubble of his home."

Sinking onto the seat behind her, she opened her eyes, and pushed her horror and anguish over Valtur's actions deep inside of her. She had to keep her head straight in case there was a chance to get him to see reason. She had to think of a way to escape if there wasn't.

"But… Why does Thor allow Valtur at court if he did this? Surely…"

"My brother is of the opinion that the only witness to the act was hurt so badly at the time that his knowledge is suspect. And he thinks that I allow sentiment to cloud my judgment." He smirked. "And since I could not prove your father's crimes to Thor's satisfaction, I found it much simpler to take matters into my own hands."

She knew then that he would not listen, not to her.

"What… what will happen to me?" she asked, desperately trying to think.

"Oh, I have plans for you, my dear wife." And he sank to crouch in front of her, looking almost feral. "Or at least, your money." At her look of confusion, he snorted, "You didn't know, did you? How much money and assets your father put in your name when he sought to sell you for influence."

She looked at him, mute, and shook her head.

"As I told you, you're an adult, and as such, anything you brought into a marriage contract had to belong to you. Your father put everything he stole from Asgardians—and a good bit of Svartalfheim silver—into your name when he tried to marry you off to Jerrick's son."

"So I have… I have wealth?" she asked, trying to wrap her head around what he was saying.

Loki corrected, "No. I have wealth. What was yours now belongs to me." Then he made a tsking sound. "You really should have read that marriage contract."

Trying to keep her voice steady, she asked again, "But what will happen to me?"

He cocked his head to the side as though considering her.

"I think I find you most inadequate as a wife." He stood then, giving her an arch look as he stepped away. "Luckily for me, the marriage contract allows me to keep your father's blood money even if I divorce you."

"I have nothing?" she asked, and realized that the feeling in her chest was panic. "What will I do? Where will I go?"

"Go back to your father?" Loki suggested. "Though he might not appreciate how you've ruined his plans for gaining a foothold on Asgard. See, by the time the divorce is through, he'll have a hard time getting any other takers. You really shouldn't have stolen from so many at court." He was at the desk again. "Why did you even do it?"

She didn't answer, for her mind was reeling. Everything she'd worked for was in ruins. _Everything_.

Loki grunted, "It's probably in your blood. Like your father and his stealing so many fortunes, you just couldn't help yourself."

A million words and emotions were coursing through her, but she suddenly remembered Valtur's words about him.

_Stay away from him if he approaches you. He is not to be trusted _

A laugh—a hysterical and endless laugh—was borne deep within her and erupted without warning.

Of all people in the realm, the one she should have listened to, the one who was right about Loki was Valtur the Unmerciful.

"I must… I must compliment you, my lord husband." She was holding her stomach as though trying to hold her laughter back, and between gasps, she managed, "I truly believed… I really did believe you. Indeed, I can see how you get your reputation, for you have a most marvelous tongue to have spun such a web around me."

"This is all too serious, _wife."_

Still laughing, she stood and flung her head back and scorned, "Oh, how angry you feel. And how virtuous." And she walked so that she was standing before him, her voice scathing despite her hysteria. "I am sure that you have convinced yourself that your actions are honorable and noble and _right. _And yet…" It was hard to stop laughing. "And yet in the end, you are no better than the man that spawned me."

She didn't flinch when he grabbed her arm and pulled her roughly toward him.

"Do not _dare_ compare me to that filth." His eyes were filled with such hate that for a moment he did indeed look like Valtur, and he shook her as he raged, "I will not disgrace myself by killing you, elf, but do not dare push me too far. You cannot know the powers I possess…what I can do to you…"

"And what will you do?" Her chin jutted out and she refused to look away. "Beat me?"

And she began laughing again.

Loki growled and pushed her away. He was breathing hard and looked very much like he'd like nothing more than do as she said.

"There is nothing that you can do that I cannot take," she assured him, her laughter fading, a bitter taste filling her mouth as she sneered back at him. "I am Valtur's daughter. You are not strong enough to break me."

"Well see about that," he grunted, walking to the desk, and he began to gather up the stolen items there and put them into a bag that lay next to them.

She watched him, and though she tried not to speak, her heart flipped when saw that Birgitta's chain was still with the other things she'd taken. And unbidden, she asked, "What do you intend to do with all of that?

"I'm going to return everything to its rightful owner." He didn't look at her as he spoke. "But not before I let court know where they ended up…and how."

"One of those… one of the necklaces is mine. I did not steal it."

He looked up at her wordlessly, and she knew that he did not believe her.

Desperate, she told him, "It was my mother's. She was of Asgard. You know that much, I kn…"

"Then I'll give it to Sif," he said, sounding dismissive, and he pulled the bag shut. "She should have something of her mother. It was hard on her when Birgitta chose Valtur over all she had here."

And then he was walking to the door. "Someone will be by soon to take you to your new chambers." He paused and looked over his shoulder. "Do not dare touch anything in here while I am gone."

Loki opened the door then, and when he went through it, he called for someone and moved down the hall. The door was left open, and Asrior was alone in the room.

She simply watched him leave, her body growing numb as the extent of what had just happened hit her. Her body began to shake and it crossed her mind that in some ways, this was worse than Valtur's whip.

She had been betrayed by someone she was foolish enough to trust, and because of that, she was much further from Kagoq than before. She had no money. She had sacrificed her mother's chain for nothing.

Worse, she was in great danger of falling under Valtur's control again before she had a chance to do anything about her circumstances.

She needed to think, needed to control her emotions.

And as she forced control over her emotions and began to pace, trying to form another plan, she saw a flash of red-tinged eyes in the doorway before the door snapped shut.

* * *

**And now, a few replies to prior reviews:**

**Crede Biron**: You were spot on about the marriage being a sham. And it's interesting that you see my Loki as Nordic myth rather than Marvel. Probably because of a few reasons...first, I read a lot (A LOT) of mythology growing up. Nonstop, could not get enough of it. From every country I could find. I'm sure I'm hugely influenced by the Norse myths I read then. I see this Loki as MCU...but he's evolved since Avengers from his "bag full of cats" stage and I've given this Loki time to solve his Thor 1/Avengers era issues off-page (interesting issues to be sure, but not some I want to write about now).

**Sammi:** Yes, she should have read the contract! Although, if she did, I'm not sure she would have gotten suspicious. Asrior is in many ways hugely naive (and trusting, once you get past her defenses). Because of the crap she's been through, she's also the opposite of naive in some ways, which makes her a hugely interesting character and I hope a good counterpart to Loki. Sorry I didn't update this weekend, but...work and birthdays and etc. Here's to a quick update this time.

**Honey:** Do you see now what Loki is up to? No good, :D. He's impulsive still. Something he really needs to learn to manage. And I had hoped to have Avengers in this chapter, but it was long enough. You'll get some Tony and Bruce very soon, I promise.

**mewlingq**: Thank you! Your name makes me giggle every time I see it, but then I'm twelve (mentally). :D. I hope you like this chapter.

**Fat Old Sun:** Updated! And thanks for reading.

**London Calling:** When will Loki see her scars? Huh. Um. Well, he *will*. Eventually. :D When it happens. I'm afraid Asrior's got a bit of a tough time ahead of her (though trust me on this, any time I put a character through a bunch of $%! I make it up to them in the end). But the inbetween will be worth reading and make the discovery that much better if I do my job right.

**Guest 1:** thank you, especially because I love the 1-year-old to pieces, even if she's very very very minor (though her name comes up again...)

**Tight Hold On Death:** thanks for commenting, and I hope you are still curious and reading!

**SissyPerigrin:** now you know what happened! ;) I hope the cliffie didn't hurt too much. But a fair warning, I kind of like cliffies, so be prepared for more.

**Balloonshearts:** thank you very much for the sweet compliment. I hope to update quicker for most chapters in future...this one wasn't difficult to write, but I was careful for it is important to the story. I hope you enjoy it.

**CeliaSingsSongs:** thank you! It wasn't quite as quick as I would have liked, but I did update as quickly as I *could* given goings on around here. Thanks for reading!

**Zippythewondersquirrel:** OMG, yes, Loki should know better. But he is (other than observant) very impulsive and driven my self-centered emotions at times. Which is the case here. Thus the chapter title, 'consequences of conviction'. He's so sure he's RIGHT. And that's something he'll have to deal with, because he acted on that 'right' and he'll have to deal with the fact that he wasn't.

**Guest 2:** I literally LOL'd when I read your review (and loudly at that). I heard a voice over from a bad soap opera in my head :D. Um...we'll see what she steals in future. I won't say what else ends up in her pockets and hands, but you can guess where certain things head. And I love that you picked up on the horses...which are... very... amdlfkajhsgl;ah And now I'm bound by my own curse in which I know what's going to happen but cannot say. The peaches? Well...they're not necessarily vital to the plot, but they are a special symbol of loyalty and love and they crop up again. And you know about the wedding contract now...

**candy flaps:** Loki will most definitely not feel good about himself when he finds out, and it won't be a one-chapter-and-he's-done thing. This is a major event that aids in his evolution as a person (I'd say human being, but he's not :D). He's 'reformed' but needs a little more...well, he needs to be humbled before he can fully change. So as crappy as things might get, it's really for the good in the end. As for Sif? fajkldfaj;s k Let's just say that I hope it's worth it when it happens.

Thanks everyone! Your reviews have made my week!

And now, I'll get back to writing the next chapter.


	7. Chapter 6-Repercussions

A/N-As always, thanks for your reviews, and for following the story! I love, love, love hearing from you.

As before, I've edited the heck out of this but will take a little while and reread (because I'll have missed something). And I'll add comments to some reviews, for you guys keep noticing things (which is awesome)...but these things are spoilery.

I hope you enjoy this. There's not a ton of plot here, but it sets up what I call 'Part II' of the fic.

Nothing too M rated here, though there's mention of an 'adult sit'.

Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

* * *

**Chapter 6-Repercussions  
**

As soon as the door snapped shut, Asrior stopped her pacing to take stock of the room's contents.

The selves were filled with books, but also with other objects—stones and silver filaments and crystal spheres. A box on the desk was open to reveal what looked like dried herbs, and a candle and small silver dagger sat next to it. All items that Loki used in his sorcery, no doubt. She had seen similar used by her father.

She was tempted to take something, the urge driven in large part by her desire to defy him. But he would know if anything went missing, because, like Valtur, her new husband probably had spells on everything. Not for the first time, Asrior wished that she had been allowed to study magic herself.

No. However tempting it might be to take something, the danger was too great to steal directly from Loki. She would have to be more careful…more cunning while under his control than she had been in Svartalfheim.

As she turned to resume her pacing, the door opened again; Asrior held her body rigid and watched as Emil and a woman walked through the door.

"Your chambers are ready," the manservant announced without preamble, and he nodded at the woman next to him. "This is Saldis. She is housekeeper here and will attend to you while you are at Okershall. You will follow her."

He sounded as though she were an uninvited guest who had arrived on their doorstep without warning, and he made little effort to veil his contempt.

The housekeeper—a strong-looking woman whose face was lined with either work or age—had locked her dark eyes on a position above Asrior's head.

"Very well," she said, walking toward them, undaunted. "I am most intrigued as to the accommodations my new husband has arranged for me."

The housekeeper turned, her expression never changing, but a corner of Emil's mouth twisted into a derisive sneer. But he was not rude, merely murmuring, "Thanks you, Saldis," as the older woman left with Asrior on her heels.

She walked in silence, her back as rigid as Asrior's, and she led her down the smaller hall and into the entry way. She bypassed the great golden staircase that dominated the entry, however, to walk across the room and cross under an archway made of stone.

She was leading Asrior away from the new wing of the castle—the family quarters, Loki had said—and taking her deep into the ancient keep.

They walked down a hall, and then another, and then up a small set of stairs that wound skyward into a turret, and with every step she took, Asrior found it easier to forget the hurt and humiliation she felt over Loki's betrayal and give in to her anger.

They could put her away in the darkest, furthermost corner of the castle, they could treat her with every ounce of scorn they felt and more—but they would find that she was not so easy to cow.

"I am to be kept in a tower?" she asked the housekeeper, her voice light, as though they were discussing the change of the seasons. "Are there no dungeons at Okershall, then?"

Saldis didn't speak or look at Asrior, simply climbing the stairs that rose higher and higher.

Trying again, she goaded, "Or is it the custom of this land to imprison those not fully of Asgard? I thought dark elves were supposed to be the barbaric ones, so please forgive my confusion."

The woman still did not say anything, but her mouth trembled, and finally she stopped on a small landing and turned toward a heavy wooden door to open it. The door groaned as it moved, and Saldis turned, her eyes still above Asrior's head, and spoke for the first time.

"Your rooms."

Asrior walked in and slowly began to turn around as she looked; she was indeed in a tower, near the top of it most likely The room was not small, but heavy wooden furniture filled up the space. Torches lit the walls, and a small fireplace made of darker stone jutted from one of the corners, and door nearby it looked to lead to the bath. One window, narrow and reaching almost floor to ceiling, lay on the other side of the bed.

It was so similar to her chamber in Valtur's fortress that she laughed.

"So a tower it is. I have to admit, I thought my lord husband had more imagination than this."

Saldis remained silent, but her lips thinned at the word 'husband'. Asrior felt a vicious stab of victory and vowed to use the term often.

Footsteps echoed on the landing outside her room, and a boy walked in, carrying her two small trunks. He dropped them onto the floor without ceremony, and moved to stand by the housekeeper, his arms crossed. He was fair-skinned, with light brown hair and amber eyes, and he stared at her with palpable distrust.

"Do you require anything before I leave?"

The housekeeper's voice was stiff, as though the words were torn from her, and the eyes she finally turned onto Asrior burned with hatred.

Asrior glared back at her.

"Yes, actually. I would like my freedom. I would like what is rightfully mine back from my husband and your master, and then I would like to leave this place."

The woman merely stared at her and the boy frowned.

"But if you cannot help with that, I suppose I will have to content myself here. For now," she said, and turned to walk toward the long and narrow window. "Leave me."

She stared wordlessly out at the deepening twilight and did not move, and after a moment, she heard the door shut.

Once their footsteps faded and she was sure they were gone, she dropped her air of defiance and turned, moving quickly toward her trunks. Loki had gone through her things and taken the silk bag that held the remainder of her coins, so there was little of value left, but some of the items would be worth salvaging.

She opened the trunk that held her new clothes, and took the handful of dresses out and laid them on the bed. There were three that were unworn, gowns of silk and velvet. Their price on the black market would not be much, but they would fetch something.

The blue gown she'd worn on her wedding lay at the bottom, along with the carefully folded nightdress she'd worn the night before. Her anger and resolve almost faltered at the sight of them; but Asrior blinked and, swallowing the bitter taste in her mouth, gathered them up in a large ball. She moved quickly to the large wooden wardrobe that dominated one of the room's walls, for there was a drawer along the bottom of it, and she yanked it open and shoved the offending garments deep inside.

Then, breathing hard, she moved back to the trunk. The opulent, purple-bound book Loki had given her was in there as well, and with a harsh laugh, Asrior took it and tossed it onto the bed next to the unused gowns, not caring if she got anything for it—she'd give it to a beggar to use to kindle a fire if nothing else.

The other trunk did not offer much—a leather bag and silk hose. A new pair of soft leather slippers. Embroidery thread, and a pair of gold scissors and needles. Ribbons and wooden hairclips carved to look like flowers—Geror's wedding gift. Nothing of great value, but all worth selling.

And so, her plans beginning to take shape, Asrior put her meager lot of goods into one of the trunks and placed it carefully inside of the wardrobe. Then she moved to a wooden chair near the room's lone window and sat and gazed outside, her mind whirling.

….

She did not know how she stared out the window. The little turret looked down upon the stables, which were lit with warm light and still bustling with activity despite the growing darkness; but Asrior saw nothing. Her mind was far away, first with her mother, where she sought strength and resolve, and then on new plans to escape.

At some point the door to her room opened, and she heard the housekeeper's voice.

"It is time for supper."

Asrior did not turn to look at Saldis, simply saying, "I'm not coming down."

"My lord Loki demands it."

"No doubt. But somehow I lack the desire to fall in line with my husband's mandates."

The door shut after a moment, and Asrior resumed her plotting, though she steeled herself, for she knew Loki would not allow her defiance.

Soon enough, the door opened again, with more force, and his voice—so silkily quiet that she almost wished he had shouted—said, "You should know me well enough by now to understand that I expect obedience from my wife."

Asrior kept her eyes on the window. "And I expected honesty from my husband. It appears that we have both set ourselves up for disappointment."

He growled with impatience, and she heard his boots clicking on the floor as he walked to stand beside her.

"I am not interested in your expectations, elf, though you have little room to speak of honesty. You will obey me." And he bent so that he was crouching next to her, and his voice felt sharp as a blade in her ear. "I will allow you tonight to lick your wounds, but tomorrow, you _will_ leave these chambers and you will do your duties as mistress of these lands."

"Duties?" she scoffed. "What use have I to…"

His hand was on her forearm, gripping hard. "While you are legally mine, you will attend to the people that I rule. You will see their burnt out homes and wrecked fields, and you will witness the devastation your kind has wrought on them."

"You are letting me out of my prison?" she asked, arching a brow and looking at him, her jaw jutting out in obstinacy. "I would think you to be more careful. I confess I am shocked you do not chain me to the wall instead."

He teeth flashed as his lips stretched into wicked smile.

"Do you honestly think you can run away from me?"

Her stomach clenched uncomfortably at his confidence, and she turned back to the window, seeking to wound him.

"I think you are as much a monster as the gossips whispered about."

He growled and moved his hand to her hair, pushing into it and gripping her head so that she was forced to look at him, and when he spoke, an edge of savagery tinted his voice.

"Let go the air of self-pity. Your childish need to feel sorry for yourself is indecent when you sit here surrounded by those who have suffered real harm."

The unfairness of it stung, she clenched her fists and tried to pull away, her mouth opening to rage at him, but his grip grew stronger as he pushed her head back toward the window.

"Look out there…your injured pride is _nothing_ compared to what the people there continue to face."

His hand dug so hard into her scalp that tears pricked her eyelids before she could control them, and she blinked them back and reached up to tug at his hand, snarling, "I am not my father. Their suffering is not my doing."

_And I have been injured too._

But the words she most wanted to shout did not come.

Loki, however, dropped his hand and leaned back on his heels, and a mask fell over the rage that had contorted his face.

"No. You are not your father. And you are not imprisoned here. You can leave your room and walk through the castle and its lands any time you wish, and even further if you are escorted by me or one of my trusted servants. And you'll get to go home soon. But I have ensured that you can only go so far and with certain people for now."

"And then what?" she asked, her tone dripping with ridicule. "You think I'll wait here while you divorce me, while you leave me penniless? Do you believe that I will happily attend to your peasants and endure their hatred for me…and that their pitiful existence will so move me that I'll go back to Svartalfheim and convince my father to change his ways?" She laughed before turning to the window. "You are delusional if you think that can happen."

"No. I do not expect you to be happy as you attend to my people. Not at all." He stood, his voice hard. "But you will do as I say, Asrior. You have little choice in the matter."

"You do not control me," she said mulishly, for she was feeling desperate and wanted to hide it. "You cannot stop me from leaving."

Loki sounded amused when he answered her. "Oh, but I can. And I think you well know it." He walked away, then, saying, "You will do as I say tomorrow. You do not want to test my magic."

The door opened and closed again.

Asrior turned back to the window and stayed there, forcing herself to stop brooding over her situation and to _think_.

When Saldis send up a tray of food, she did not eat it. When the housekeeper sent a maid up to draw a bath and help her prepare to retire for the night, she sent the girl away with a glower, snarling that she did not require assistance.

She was still sitting in the chair when the sun's light began to creep above the forests beyond the grounds; and she paused from her plotting for a moment to watch the activity around the stables begin again. And not long after, her door opened once more.

"I have been sent to escort you downstairs to eat."

The voice was unfamiliar, and Asrior turned.

The boy from the night before stood just inside her door, and the eyes that watched her were self-assured for one that looked so young.

"You will come with me today," he explained. "You will eat everything that is put on your plate, and then I will begin your instruction as to our lands. Loki said you would be no trouble."

She was about to refuse when it occurred to her that she would need to know what lay outside the castle if she were to escape.

"And why did Loki not come himself?" she asked, carefully taking measure of the boy.

His face gave little away as he answered, "He left for the city this morning. I do not know when he expects to return."

So he had dared to leave her alone so soon?

_Good._

Asrior stood and looked down at her wrinkled dress, saying, "I will need a moment to change."

"I will wait outside."

But before he left, she stopped him. "Wait a moment. What is your name?"

"Hlin," he said, remaining remarkably poised.

"You are young. You look to be barely twelve."

_And perhaps your youth is to my advantage._

But Hlin smirked and looked so like Loki in that instant that she blinked to clear her vision.

"I am merely small for my age." He turned after that and was almost out the door when he looked over his shoulder to say, "I hope you do not underestimate me because of it."

When the door shut, she exhaled and pressed her palms to her eyes.

Quite clearly, escaping here would be a tricky bit of business.

….

Loki wondered how it was that he could feel so many things. He was accustomed to mercurial chances in mood, but this…this was different, this blend of everything all at once.

How could he feel so triumphant and furious at the same time? Shouldn't the glorious outcome of his plans have overridden everything? Such success should have made him happy—yet, despite his great delight in his achievement, he was still very, very angry.

He was filled with a rage he thought would ease once his plans were put into place. But he still burned with it, which frustrated him to no end, and that was compounded by his annoyance at his inability to browbeat the elf he had married. And while her insolence only strengthened his resolve to see her fully chastised, he could not overlook the uncomfortable fact that the little wretch intrigued him. And _that _made him even angrier.

He was filled with such self-disgust over his lack of control over his emotions that he wanted to scream.

Instead, he stalked through the crowd at court, glowering at those who tried to stop him. He looked for Sif, for he wanted to tell her first what he had done, and to discuss his growing apprehension over what Thor would say when he learned of his latest plot. His brother was away from the city again, which gave him time to discuss exactly how he should tell Thor that he had tricked Valtur's daughter into marriage.

But Sif was nowhere to be found, and that left only…

Fandral was standing in the middle of the banquet hall, talking to Volstagg, and each were adorned with their usual accessories—the blond warrior with and equally golden goddess on each arm, and the other with a plate piled high with food.

Volstagg spotted him first, hastily swallowing a mouthful before exclaiming, "Loki! I had no idea you were expected back at court."

The others turned to look as Loki approached, Fandral's face filled with curiosity, and the goddesses' with calculation.

"I'm not expected," he explained curtly, and he ignored the simpering smile the woman on Fandral's right arm aimed at him. "Where is Sif?"

Fandral's brow rose at Loki's imperious tone. "Resting this evening. She was training with a new weapon yesterday and ended up in the healing room overnight."

Distracted by the news, Loki frowned. "That doesn't sound like Sif, being so careless."

"Twas one of Stark's weapons," Volstagg explained in between bites of sugared berries. "Apparently it malfunctioned. He's returned to Midgard, perfecting it. I believe that is where Thor is as well."

Loki held back a growl at his brother's stubborn infatuation with that beleaguered realm and its people, and asked, "Do you know when our king is expected back?"

Volstagg was busy eating, so he shook his head; Fandaral was looking at the goddess on his right arm, for she was tugging at it and eyeing Loki at the same time.

Chagrin crossed the blond warrior's face, but he gave a formal little bow and rolled his eyes."Forgive me Loki, I am neglecting the formalities. Allow me to introduce Ragna, who has recently returned from travels to Vanaheim." He looked at the other goddess, the one on his left, and muttered, "And this is her sister, Tola. This, as I'm sure you know, my beauties, is Loki, prince of Asgard, ruler of the lower countries, master of tricks, etcetera."

The woman called Ragna slid her hand from Fandral's arm and sidled up to Loki, looking hopeful.

"I am very pleased to meet you, my lord," she purred, her eyes raking over him, her smile suggestive. He took note of her overtures without emotion and studied her, his eyes just as calculating as hers had been when he walked up to them. His mind refused to be still, and it occurred to him that perhaps he could drive away the restless thoughts that plagued him through base, physical exertions.

But she was small for an Asgardian, her body appearing almost delicate encased as it was in a flowing blue gown.

He frowned. "It is my pleasure, I'm sure." And when he took her hand, he moved his lips over it without actually touching her skin.

Disappointment flooded her face at his disinterest, and as Loki offered the same detached greeting to her sister, he heard Volstagg, amused, whisper loudly, "I dare say our good lord of mischief is taken, my girl. Fandral, on the other hand, has room for more than one woman in his heart…and other places, no doubt."

Loki's eyes snapped to the rotund warrior, wondering for a moment if word of his marriage had somehow reached court; but Volstagg was looking over his shoulder, smirking, and Lorelei's husky voice filled his ear.

"Loki… it has been too long, my lord."

Turning to the bronze-haired goddess, he smiled, and then nodded at the other two warriors as they moved away, Fandral with the two women, and Volstagg saying something about smoked and salted stag.

"My lady. It has indeed been a while since I last saw you." And he allowed his lips to linger on the smooth skin of her hand, for he had learned not to neglect her when he needed information. "How is it that I survived?"

Her lips twisted. "Still, you mock me. It is I who lingered here in solitude."

"You are the one who jests," he countered, keeping her hand in his and moving thought the crowd and toward an empty alcove that sat nearby. "I doubt you lacked for company despite my absence. Your popularity is legendary, especially with the males of our race."

She smirked. "But you wish to know of the males of another race, do you not? You are so transparent."

"I am concerned with Asgard," he corrected, his thumb stroking her wrist. "And you have been of much value to me in protecting it."

Lorelei sighed heavily, and her free hand moved to her generous chest. "But I cannot be of much help now, and the thought of your disapproval distresses me."

They were at the dimly lit recess, and he pulled her into it and dropped his flirtatious manner, demanding, "Tell me what is wrong, Lorelei, and do not disassemble."

She pouted, pursing her overly full lips. "Valtur is not at court. He has been gone for over a fortnight this time." One of her hands drifted to his chest, a finger trailing over his armor. Loki allowed the familiarity, for he needed her cooperation. "He was barely here before. After his daughter disappeared, he said he spent much of his time at Jerrick's home in Nornheim. He said they were coordinating the search for the girl. I suggested that he might be more comfortable with companionship on his journeys, but he did not take the hint."

Loki grunted, annoyed. "Is there nothing that would be of interest?"

The finger drawing a pattern on his armor paused. "I would have hoped that _I _would be of interest." When she saw his look, she sighed and said, "No, there is nothing that you would find of interest. The time he spent here was in the company of Thor or his courtiers. He barely spent time with me. And as I told you, he was not here often." She sounded frustrated. "I was left too much alone."

He notice then that the hand at her neckline was fidgeting with the beading there—drawing attention to very generous curves barely hidden by the silver material of her gown. Lorelei drew a deep breath, causing the material to shimmer, and his eyes moved over her breasts to the sumptuous curve of her hips. The goddess's head reached well above his shoulder, and despite her excessive femininity, there was nothing fragile about her.

His hand moved to her waist, and he leaned toward her, his voice lowered to a silken whisper, "I hope you do not think I am ungrateful." And he smiled when she moved closer to him in response. "You have been most helpful to me, my most gracious lady. Perhaps it is time that I show you how truly appreciative I am."

The goddess caught her breath at his words, and the eyes that moved to his were almost fervent. "Do not toy with me, my lord. I am not in the mood for games."

She was almost quivering with desire, and though he usually found her over-abundant charms wearisome, he could not deny that she was an extremely desirable woman—and, no doubt, very experienced in the art of giving and receiving sexual pleasure. A lust-filled night with her would help settle his mind along with the debt he had promised her.

And, perhaps, it would drive away the memory of Asrior, for the feel of her had been shockingly pleasing. He understood before the marriage that he liked looking at her all too much, and he had done his best when he'd had to bed her to avoid the temptation she presented. He had not thought about how much he would like the simple act of touching her—or what her unsophisticated touches would do to him.

He almost snarled at the recollection, the anger and self-disgust he felt returning.

"I do not play games." He pulled Lorelei closer, and his hand sliding along her back and lower. And his mouth was against her ear as he spoke. "I am in your debt. Tell me what you desire, my lady, and I will do as you ask."

Her brown eyes were heavy with desire, and she turned her head so that their lips were almost touching.

"We should retire to my chambers, for such a debt will take time…and privacy…to pay in full. You have kept me waiting a long time, my lord."

And then her lips were on his, their movements sure and seductive, and her hands were not tentative as they moved over him. Loki felt his body responding, and he pulled back, impatient to get her alone so he could forget everything in a haze of lust.

"We should go then," he murmured, pulling her from the shadows. "I do not want to keep you waiting any longer."

….

Word reached Sif that Loki had returned, and she sent a message to his rooms the next morning. She was feeling more like herself, she said, and would be with the other warriors in chambers reserved for their use near the royal offices.

And so he found himself with little rest as he headed to meet with them, for Lorelei had kept him deep into the night, and his mood was no better than it had been the night before, either. His plan to free his mind through physical exertion had failed, and his body was little sated despite his best efforts.

Sif saw him first as he emerged from the curtained alcove that led to the room where they gathered, and she stood from the bench she sat upon and smirked.

"Look who the Arvak drug out." She looked out the massive window to her right, a brow arching at the sun's bright light. "Tis nearly midday."

Loki gave a halfhearted snarl in reply and advanced toward the group; they were gathered around a fire pit—Fandral lounging on a bench, while Volstagg knelt beside the fire, stoking the flames.

"Forgive him, Sif." Fandral's grin was wicked. "The goddess Lorelei looked to finally get her claws into him last evening, so we should be thankful that our lord of tricks can even walk." And then he leaned against a pillow and sighed. "I know I had a most difficult time moving this morning. Remind me of this day the next time I attempt to seduce two females at once."

Sif rolled her eyes and muttered, "Men. You are all most disgusting."

Volstagg did not look up from the fire. "Leave me out of this. May I remind you that I am a good and faithful husband…"

"…with the brood of children to prove it," Fandral finished for him, laughing.

Loki moved toward the pit to stand next to the redheaded warrior and murmured, "Allow me." And with a wave of his hand, had the fire began raging again.

Volstagg stood and bowed his thanks, and as he moved to one of the benches, Sif put her hands on her hips and demanded, "And where have you been?"

Smirking, he began, "I thought Fandral covered that…"

She huffed, and turned to begin pacing. "You know what I mean."

Sitting next to Volstagg, Loki adopted a look of innocence, pretending he only just understood her meaning.

"Oh… You mean since I left in search of the elf."

"Yes, since you left then." Sif stopped her pacing long enough to scowl at him. "You have been gone for so long that Stark is convinced he'll never see his things again. Did you know that he gets even more unpleasantly sarcastic when he is annoyed? I only agreed to test his weapon in hopes his mood would improve. When he found out you had returned here and was gone again in a day without even seeing us…" And at the look on his face, she stopped her tirade, and her eyes narrowed. "What?"

He was having a hard time controlling his expression.

So he leaned forward and rested his hands on his thighs, savoring their surprise when he told them what he'd done.

And though his words were simple, his pronouncement of, "I have news," had Siff stepping closer to him and Fandral sitting up on his bench.

Volstagg thumped the seat next to him and urged, "Well? Spit it out."

Loki threw the warrior a quelling look before he turned back to Sif, and with a barely suppressed smile, announced, "I am married."

Their reactions were what he expected.

Sif's mouth dropped open in shock, and Volstagg sputtered, stunned. Fandral's head tipped to the side as he tried to work it out, and with a voice filled with confusion, said, "To Lorelei? That was quick…"

Snorting, Loki looked at him as though he were simple. "No. Not to Lorelei."

"To who then?" Sif demanded, drawing his attention back to her. "If you have spent this entire time chasing after some… some piece of… What was it Stark said?" She searched for one then term, finally biting out, "…some piece of tail instead of finding out what Valtur is…"

Loki raised a hand to calm her, and quietly said, "The elf."

Everyone stopped, frozen, as they processed his words.

"I am recently wedded to Asrior of Svartalfheim, daughter to Valtur." He paused for a moment and allowed the triumph he felt at his success to fill him. "She is under my control, bound to my castle, answerable only to me—and much of her father's fortune as well, as his only daughter, is now mine." His face changed then, becoming more feral as he said, "And when he comes looking for her, I will be waiting for him."

A grudging look of admiration began to fill Sif's eyes, and Fandral and Voltstagg were both standing, their faces lit with excitement.

But behind him, it was Thor who spoke.

"What in Odin's name have you done now, brother?"

Twirling in surprise, Loki grunted, "You are returned?"

"Just in time apparently." Thor stomped toward the fire pit. His face was thunderous, and it grew even more so when Tony Stark, who was behind him, pointed out, "Actually, you appear to be a little late."

But he ignored the Midgaridan, demanding again, "Tell me what you have done, Loki."

"You heard me. I married your runaway elf." Thor's face darkened at the words, and furious at his brother's immediate condemnation, Loki hissed, "She was waiting in Nidvallier's iron mountains where Valtur's dwarf had been kept, waiting to get to him. But we knew where she was, you see? And we made sure your men did not take him back there, and while she waited in vain for his return, I seduced her."

If anything, the words made his brother angrier.

"Tell me you did not actually seduce the daughter of a trans-realm emissary…"

"Perhaps that is not quite the right word." Loki held up his hands and smirked as he explained, "It was perfectly respectable, Thor. I paid court to her. I asked her to marry me. She agreed. It was only once we were married that the relationship was consummated. She came to me willingly. It was all perfectly legal."

"The Queen Aflyse of Svartalfheim is not going to be interested in our legalities," Thor snapped, and he looked as though he wanted to kick something.

"You're the one who told me to stay in the villages."

He probably should not have said that, for his brother's resemblance to Odin had never been more pronounced as it was at that moment. And when Thor spoke, it was with defeat and resignation rather than anger.

"Why is it that you always act without thinking, Loki?"

The age-old condemnation stung, and, wounded, he flung back, "I _did _think, it was you who failed to listen to us."

"But I did." Thor looked weary, and it was only then than Loki noticed his brother's armor was dented and dirty, and his short beard was covered in what looked like soot. Stark was wearing his suit of metal, his mask off, and he was covered in black dust as well. And as Thor sat upon one of the benches and leaned his head into a hand, he repeated, "I did listen. I just couldn't involve any of you."

It was Sif who spoke next, her voice quiet as she said, "What has happened, Thor?"

He dropped his hand slightly and said, "Valtur and some of his men attacked us. Tony and I. When we were on Midgard testing the weapons meant for the elves." And he looked almost defeated when he admitted, "And I do not know if Valtur is dead or alive."

The words hit Loki like they were arrows, and looking just as stunned as he felt, Fandral asked, "What do you mean, weapons meant for the elves?"

It was testament to how serious the situation was that Stark did not make light of it when he answered, "I've been working on a class of weapons specifically designed to target the dark elf weakness for lead. We were in the desert near Jane's old lab when they attacked. It was one of those weapons that injured Sif." He glanced at her. "Sorry."

Sif shrugged a shoulder. "Twas nothing."

"Yeah, well, it convinced Thor we needed to test the things on Mi…on Earth. So we went back there."

Volstagg sat back down heavily, and said, "We should have been with you."

Thor was sitting up straighter, and he shook his head. "It was best that you did not know. Your suspicions regarding Valtur were too well known to risk it. It was better if you appeared frustrated at my refusal to act."

"Why?" Loki bit out, angry at his brother's secrets. "It did you no good, seeing as you were attacked."

"Do you not think I have not thought of that?" Thor asked, the lines on his face deepening. "I have debated the entire time whether or not to tell you."

"So all this time," Sif breathed…

But Thor shook his head. "No. Only recently did we embark on this. I admit freely, I paid little heed to your collective doubt about him for too long. That was proven to me today most effectively."

Loki tried to tamp down his growing anger, and he moved to the bench where his brother sat and lowered himself next to him.

"If you had told me…maybe I would not have…" he began, and Thor smiled at him wearily, and asked, "You would have not followed Valtur's daughter when she disappeared? Even if you knew I believe you?"

His brother's knowing look was disconcerting, and Loki looked down, admitting, "At the very least, I would not have married her."

"Yes, but you did. And now I have to tell the Queen of Svartalfheim that not only is the emissary she sent to my court possibly dead at my hands, but that his daughter was married in secret to my brother, who is well known in her realm for his tricks and lies and dislike of dark elves."

Something creaked, and Loki looked over at Stark and watched as he gingerly lowered himself next to Volstagg, who asked, "What exactly happened on Midgard?"

"We were firing at targets when some kind of portal opened and the Keebler Crew appeared." At the warrior's confused look, Stark waved a hand and said, "Midgardian term for elves. Anyway, the weapons kept failing." And he closed his eyes and leaned back on one of the cushions, giving in to his own exhaustion. "Some didn't work, and the others were tripping too soon—the explosions were uncontrolled. We injured the leader—Valtur—and another portal opened and more elves came. Thor got us out…but not before they tried to take a cache of weapons. One of them exploded and caused a chain reaction…and we don't know what happened, because the portal closed before the whole thing lit up. Thor thought they escaped as well."

"If they didn't?" Sif asked, her voice soft.

"Then they're all dead," Thor muttered. "They could not have survived."

"So what… What do we do?" Fandral asked, his eyes on his king. "You cannot keep us out of this fight. Not now, Thor."

"We wait," Thor began, and at the same time, Stark said, "We keep working on the triggering mechanism…"'

They paused, eyeing the other, and Thor finally said, "You work on your…triggering mechanism thing…while we wait to see how my talks with Aflyse go." And then he turned his attention back to Loki. "And you, brother… How many know of your marriage to his daughter?"

"Those in this room and a handful of my people in Ringsfjord—and maybe a few others."

"Maybe?" There was an edge to Thor's voice.

"The official who conducted the ceremony knows, but he was paid to remain silent. Everyone else is my servant, and they all been instructed not to gossip."

"And they will obey you? Are you sure?"

"Yes, brother, they will obey," Loki assured him, his eyes narrowing. And then he admitted, "Asrior may have told her landlady…or others in the village."

Sighing, Thor shut his eyes, and then muttered, "You will take care of it today, brother."

His lips thinned, but Loki bowed his head. "Yes. Of course."

And, his eyes still closed, the king ordered, "And after, you will go back to Okershall and remain there until I bid you return. And you will not make any foolish decisions unless you have consulted with me."

Loki didn't answer this time, instead turning to walk toward the door. But before he could take more than three steps, he heard the creak of Stark's metal suit.

"What about my things?"

Turning, he saw that the Midgardian had followed him toward the door.

"The ring of mine…my bracelets. You have them?"

Grunting, Loki pulled the silk bag from his cape and opened it. "Yes, actually. It seems my new wife has a penchant for shiny objects."

And as he rooted through the bag, the man across from him put a hand to his chin and pulled at the short beard there, before muttering, "And your new wife…she's a dark elf, isn't she?"

"She has dark elf blood," Loki said, pulling the bracelets from the bag and handing them to Stark. "She's not full-blood, though."

"But she is part dark elf?" Stark asked, insistent, and he held his hand out again when Loki found the ring and drew it out. "How much of their blood does she have in her?"

"Enough…" he said slowly, explaining, "Dark elves…they have magic in them, very potent magic. Valtur, her father, is a formidable sorcerer. It is obvious she is his daughter, for she reeks of dark magic as well."

He was about to leave again when Stark once again interrupted him.

"And yet she was able to live in the iron mountains?"

Surprised, Loki eyed him more carefully, saying, "Yes. She was not as affected by the metal as those with more blood in them." When Stark didn't say anything, instead again pulling at his beard, he asked, against his will, "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that I need to take a trip." And then he looked up, smiling wickedly. "How would you like a houseguest?"

They had attracted the attention of the others, and when Loki noticed his brother moving over to them, he growled, "I already have one too many."

But Thor was close enough to hear them, and he demanded, "What are you discussing?"

"The elf woman," Stark said, glancing at him. "She might be of help to me. With the weapons."

"What do you mean?"

Thor looked entirely too interested.

"She's part dark elf, but she's different," he explained, moving his hands as he talked. "If I can examine her…get a sample of her DNA and compare it someone here, a full-blooded Asgardian, I can extrapolate the…"

"Absolutely not," Loki said, desperate to keep him away from his home. "She will never agree in any case. You have no idea how stubbornly impertinent…"

"Tony will be allowed to try, Loki," Thor said, speaking over him. "My decision is made." But he looked at Stark and said, "But only if she agrees. I cannot go to her queen and explain that you are conducting primitive experiments on her against her will."

Stark looked offended, but said, "No, of course not. Only if she agrees. But I'll get her to agree." And he looked at Loki with smug satisfaction.

"What will you require for the journey?"

"Oh, a few odds and ends from home," Stark said, his hand moving to rub his neck as he thought. "And I need a few days with Pepper. She's a little…angry…at me for neglecting her lately." And his face brightened, and he gave Loki a slap on the shoulder. "But she'll be happy that I have the ring back."

Loki scowled at his audacity, but Thor was talking.

"Then it is settled. You will take care of any gossip, brother, while Tony is on Midgard. Be prepared for his arrival in Ringsfjord."

Stark began rubbing his hands together, looking altogether too pleased at Loki's discomfort.

"You do realize that I'll have to ask Bruce to come along." And he smirked before adding, "It'll be fun. We'll stay up late. Tell ghost stories. Do each other's hair. Reminisce about the time you tried to destroy Manhattan and we kicked your ass instead…"

Snarling, Loki turned, and as he left for his chambers, he vowed that one day, he would make his brother pay for this latest indignity.

* * *

**For my awesome reviewers from the last chapter:**

**SapphireDreamer26:** LOL, it's ok to hate him, especially if you get that he doesn't understand. Maybe one day you'll really, really, *really* like him. Just not today :P. Thanks for the review! I hope you liked this update.

**Guest #1 **Thanks for the review...and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. There wasn't much for Asrior to do this time...but her mind is *always* working.

**Sammi: **You are entirely too kind. Thanks for reviewing, and I sincerely hope the wait was worth it this chapter.

**sidlewild:** Yes, she does need to do something. Unfortunately, even if she were to 'show' him just now, he might not quite be ready so see. But give them time. (laughs evilly). And thanks for the review. It means a lot!

**Zippythewondersquirrel:** OT I love your name! ON TOPIC, no it wasn't a double or projection. The laws of Asgard are pretty clear, it had to be the real Loki who consummated the marriage. He's still a rat about it though! Just a very hot brooding rat who needs hugs and... Sorry, letting my fangirl out. Thanks for reading! And *I* cannot wait until he realizes the truth either! Seriously, probably will be my favorite part of the fic. I hope it's as good on screen as it is in my twisted head!

**candy flaps:** LOL. Thank you! Very sincerely, thank you.

**Guest 2 with the keen eye: **As you have read, no, he did not just think of Asgard, not by a long shot! The pregnancy thing will be answered later (do you think he'd be so careless? ). As to Hogun... You will just have to wait and see (next chapter he'll appear). Thanks for reading and reviewing, and you always seem to just hone in on things I'm putting in there :D.

**London Calling: **awwww...can I admit I like it that your heart broke a little? And, YES, the little Elf Bride is *nothing* like Loki expected and her past has fully prepared her to handle what's up next (which isn't always easy). But it is that cunning and STEEL that she posses that 1) allows her to cause Loki headaches and 2) helps her find friendship and beauty in unexpected places ;).

**mewlingq:** No margaritas this weekend! Just a glass or two of wine, a chess tournament, and a beautiful spring day. But I had quite a few chances to write. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I still giggle like a twelve year old when I see your name pop up!

**Crede Biron: **Here's hoping I remain faithful to a Loki that reflects myth and MCU without getting too off track. You're my touchstone on this, and while this is my Loki (who will probably veer from canon in some ways as the story evolves), I hope to keep him faithful to the vast background his character has. You'll get more of Loki's POV later (in future lemons no less), and I'm really glad you liked the Vedis part. This is (obviously) fantasy, but I didn't want either main character untouched emotionally. Loki's been around for a looong time, so he's got a bit of history. And this chapter begins to answer what is up with Valtur, and how it is that Asrior will stay around with Loki for the time being. And why Loki noticed the spell but didn't (he's...well, we'll get into it in other chapters, but he has great contempt for dark elves and paid little attention to the magic he felt around Asrior). OH, and he'll find out the truth when it's time (insert maniacal laughter on my part).

**Guest #3: **Give him time to realize the truth. And you're right, he has a ways to go before he does such. Thanks for the review!

**Shelly: **Outside of making people cry, making them miss work is my favorite thing ever! :D But seriously, thanks very much for your review. You'll get Loki POV (some this chapter, and more to come, especially after The Big Reveal). And I sincerely hope the next wedding night is worth it (cough cough) AND the next smile? Ohhhhh, here's the part where I know what's going to happen and you don't and I love it but you have to wait and I can't say anything.

**HarryPotterFreakie: **Not a softie! Still an asshole! LOL Thanks for reading. It will be quite a while before Loki gets too soft (if ever), though he has his moments.

**Guest #4: **Yes...it's subtle, but he kind of goes into it this chapter, how he didn't want to be distracted by looking at her on their wedding night...yes, he really likes her hair, and NO he wanted it bound up and deliberately did not touch it. There will be more lemons. (plural) Eventually. Thanks for the review!

**SissyPerigrin:** Hmmmm. You noticed the red eyes! But not her father. Hmmmm...

**Guest #5: ** Hmmmmm again. Not Loki. kdsfja;ldskjfalksdjfas;lkd Close, though. CLOSE.

Thank you to everyone for the reviews!


	8. Chapter 7-Monsters

A/N-Thanks for reviewing and following! You guys ask such good questions, and once I have a bit to sit back (as always), I'll comment at the end. For now, here's the next chapter.

It's a bit...slower...I guess, than I thought it would be, but a few things that were meant to happen in later chapters happen here, which will set up the upcoming action a bit sooner. This isn't plot heavy, but it sets up relationships that will play out over part II.

Next chapter, much more of Loki, including his POV. AND the Man of Iron.

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 7—Monsters**

The day did not get off to a good start.

Asrior changed into the dress Geror had made for her in the villages and found the boy Hlin waiting for her on the landing outside of her room. He led her wordlessly down the winding stairs and into the new wing of the palace, eventually stopping in a small room where a round table was laid with food.

"We eat here most mornings," Hlin said, and moved to the table, pulling a plate toward him and beginning to place a mass of food on it with great efficiency.

She followed him and sat down, and when she noticed a kettle, she pulled it toward her and peered inside. The drink was dark, with steam rising from it—probably the strong tea so popular at court.

"We?" Asrior asked, pouring a cup and reaching for honey to sweeten it with.

Hlin looked up from a basket of bread, saying, "Loki and I."

"My husband eats with servants?" she asked, her voice overly sweet, for she wanted to nettle him.

But the boy looked unperturbed. He began cutting a piece of smoked meat from a bone and said, "Loki is… well, I suppose he is my guardian—and as he is ruler here, so of course I serve him. Everyone in these lands does such."

Asrior frowned. "I do not serve your master. As he so often has pointed out, I am…" She stopped when Hlin set the plate of food in front of her with a thump and threw the boy a look before saying, "What is this?"

"Breakfast," he said, and then sat down himself and reached for a sausage, continuing, "I'm actually training to run this estate one…" He paused when she pushed the plate away from her. "You're going to have to eat that."

"If I were hungry, I am capable of serving myself, thank you. There's enough here for a Bilge Snipe."

He sighed and looked down for a moment, before reaching over and pushing the plate closer to her.

"You can be stubborn if you wish, but we will be out much of today and provisions will be light. Enjoy a hot meal while you can."

Asrior glared at him, for she did not want to listen to reason, and as she tried to muster the words to refuse, he continued, a warning in his voice, "And you angered Loki last night when you failed to eat the food Saldis sent to your rooms. You do not want to do so again. He can make it even harder for you while you stay with us."

"But he is not here," she countered. "What can he do now?"

"Loki has ways of…communicating…over great distances," he noted, and he was about to say more when her stomach had the audacity to rumble loudly. He smirked instead.

Scowling at him and silently cursing her uncooperative body, she picked up a silver fork and poked at the food on her plate. "I will not be able to finish all of this."

He had placed a boiled egg in an eggcup, and didn't look up as he cracked the top open with a knife. "But you will. Loki told me that you were to eat everything I served you."

"I will become ill if I stuff myself so," she protested.

"I really do not care. You will eat everything there, or I will make you…_my lady_." His mouth was full of egg, yet his mocking sounded so like his master that she almost threw her plate at him.

Instead, she promised, "When I am sick, I shall endeavor to aim the bile at you," and stabbed a piece of meat with her fork.

Hlin shrugged, which annoyed her even more, but she merely picked up a knife. The piece of meat in she was chewing was too large, so she began to cut her food into smaller portions. She ate with slow deliberation, eyeing the silver cutlery as she did so, and they spent the remainder of breakfast in silence.

When she was finished, Asrior lifted the empty plate in mock obedience, showing the boy that everything was gone. He grunted, for he had long been finished, and he pushed away from the table and stood.

"Are you sure you are done?" He asked as he began to put leftover rolls into the bag he wore at this side.

"Quite sure." She stood as well, hiding her smile, for she slipped two of the silver spoons into her pockets while she had eaten. "You may lead the way."

But Hlin wasn't moving. One of his hands was resting on his bag, the other was fisted on his hip, and he looked at her without saying anything.

"What?" she asked, the hairs on the back of her neck rising.

He was looking at her as though he could read her thoughts.

"Put the silver back."

"What…" she began, huffing, but he smirked and asked, "Do you really want me to search for it? Because I will."

Scowling at him, she dug into the pocket and took one of the spoons out and tossed it onto the table, muttering, "There. Are you satisfied?"

But his smirk grew wider.

"The other one."

Her voice grew hot as she lied, "There is no other one!"

The boy sighed and took a step toward her, saying, "If you insist on it being this way…"

Asrior let loose a frustrated sound and backed away from him, pulling out the other spoon and throwing next to the other with force.

"There!" And she crossed her arms, glaring at him. "That is everything."

Hlin turned to a small door on the other side of the room. "Yes, I know. We'll leave this way, out the back of the castle."

She followed him into a narrow hallway and scowled at his back. "Are you a sorcerer too? Is everything in this place under a spell?"

"As it happens, I am studying magic with Loki," he said, sounding almost cheerful. "But that's not how I knew what you'd done. I'm not nearly as advanced as he is."

Raising an eyebrow, she filed that piece of information away for later use.

"Then how did you know?"

They were walking past the kitchens and into a small stone room, signifying their entry into the original part of the castle. And as Hlin pushed open a small wooden door, he looked over his shoulder at her.

"I just knew." He stepped outside and held the door so that she could follow. "And Loki told me you like to steal things of value."

The door opened into the expanse of dirt yard that separated the keep from the stables. The turret that housed Asrior's rooms sat to the right, and she looked up at it as she walked past Hlin. She could see her window near the top of the tower.

They began to walk across the yard, and Hlin's explained, "I began to tell you earlier, I'm training to take over the running of Okershall one day. Magic is useful, though I like to use my mind and hands in more…" he waved them as he searched for the word, "…more tangible ways."

Asrior grunted. "You will take over for Emil one day?" And she began looking around the yard, for it was useful to map out the space as it appeared at ground level.

"Yes, one day...and it appears our rides are ready. You'll be on Kaja, the grey one," he said.

She stopped moving when her eyes moved to the entry to the stable.

"Horses?" she whispered.

"Yes, it's the quickest way to get from farm to farm." And then sounding a little concerned, muttered, "I forgot to tell you…I suppose we can dig up an old sidesaddle for today, but we'll journey further out tomorrow. Do you have pants to ride in?"

A boy that looked even younger than Hlin stood between the two beasts, holding both pairs of reins, and she suddenly had the urge to run up to him and snatch him away to safety.

The only thing stopping her was the fact that one of the horses—the giant black one—was restless; its tail was swishing, and its hooves were dancing impatiently back and forth in the dirt, and as though from a distance, Asrior heard herself say, "I will not ride a horse."

Hlin was still walking, and he said, "Of course you will. A child could ride Kaja, for she is as gentle a nag as…" He stopped when he noticed she wasn't following, and when he turned, impatient. "Come on."

Her chest felt as though it was being crushed. "No."

"Yes." Hlin sounded exasperated, but her eyes were riveted on the horses instead of him. She felt his hand on her arm, so he must have moved back toward her, and he sounded highly annoyed as he said, "You have procrastinated and shown your stubbornness enough today. You are to do as I say, and that is the end of it."

And then he was pulling her toward the animals, and though she tried to dig in her heels and pull away from him, he was strong for one so young. She was being taken even closer, and she thought she heard her voice rising in protest; but that was impossible, because everything about her was frozen.

She could hear the black horse's breathing alter and then it reared, and she wanted to run, but she couldn't move. And when the pressure on her chest grew heavier, she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on breathing and then trying to push, because it was as though the weight of the beast was on her. The air was being forced from her lungs, and the weight grew heavier, and as she struggled for breath there was nothing…there were only smells, the odor of sweat and fear and blood. She tried again to scream, but she didn't know if she made a sound, for all she could hear was the horse's terrible shrieks as it lay on top of her, and then she swore she heard laughter… and then…

And then the horse must have covered her completely, for everything went black.

When Asrior came to, she was sitting in the dirt with her knees bent, and she felt the pressure of a hand on her neck forcing her head between her legs. She let out a great gasp as she woke, and as air filled her lungs, she realized that something bitter-smelling was being held near her head.

Jerking up so quickly that the hand fell away, she batted out blindly, gasping, "Get that away from me before I…"

But it was too late. The foul smell mixed with the lingering taste of terror, and her stomach heaved with nausea. She managed to move so that she was on her hands and knees, and the breakfast she had so recently consumed came up in a rush.

It seemed to last forever, and it was only after she was done retching that she realized she'd vomited on the person who had been holding her head.

Hlin was kneeling next to her, a look of biliousness fighting with disgust for control of his face as he stared at the mess on his pants.

Asrior could feel her body trembling, and she was breathing hard as she tried to forget the memories of that terrible day after Kagoq had left. And as she shakily wiped her mouth with a sleeve and noticed her own dress was matted with sickness, she managed, "I warned you earlier. Do not say I fail to follow through on promises." And then she put a fist to her mouth and closed her eyes as her stomach lurched again. "And I do not ride horses."

"Yes, I can see that now," he said through clenched teeth. But the look he gave her when he finally stood was restrained. He was obviously curious about her fainting spell, and though he looked as if he wanted nothing more than to ask questions as to what had just happened, Hlin simply asked, "Can you ride in an open cart drawn by ponies?"

She nodded.

"I suppose we need to change before we head out for the day."

Asrior, still sitting, watched as the stable boy led the horses away from them.

"I do not have anything else to wear," she finally said, tearing her gaze away and looking at Hlin.

He scoffed. "I doubt that."

"It is true," she insisted. "The dress I arrived in is being washed, and I have no others. If you recall, there were only two small trunks with me when I arrived, and one was mostly empty."

She fervently hoped he had not counted her dressed before taking her trunks up the night before.

"Go upstairs anyway and get cleaned up," Hlin grunted, frowning at her. "You will not stop us from riding out today. I'm sure I can find something for you to wear."

An hour passed before she found herself back by the stables, now wearing an old pair of leather pants and simple cloth tunic—boys clothes, most likely Hlin's.

He was sitting in a cart, wearing similar clothing, and when she climbed in to sit next to him, he glanced at her hair; she had pulled it back from her eyes with a small clip, but the bulk of it hung over her shoulders and hid her ears.

She carried her cloak with her as well, for it made her feel safe to have something else she could use to cover her ears. Her experience at the inn let her know very well that how dark elves were viewed in these lands, and Saldis's look of revulsion when she'd handed over the change of clothes earlier was seared in her mind.

Hlin clicked his tongue, and when the cart began to lurch forward, she asked, "Do the people we will visit today know who I am?"

He gave her a quick look from the corner of his eye. "Do you mean, will they know you're Loki's wife?"

"Will they know that I am an elf? Valtur's daughter specifically?" she clarified. "Although you raise a good point as well. Will they know my status?"

They were driving on the same road she'd arrived on, down the hill and along with tree-lined road. But the cart was slower than the carriage had been, and obviously less desirable than horses, for Hlin was looking at the ponies that pulled the cart with mild antipathy.

"They will know you are mistress here," he said. "Loki let us know before you arrived that he would be bringing his wife to stay. And there would be no reason for you to tour the land if you weren't mistress of it."

"But do they know the rest?" she pressed, her voice was bitter. "Will they know that I am not exactly revered by my husband. That I am put away in a tower. That I am treated like..."

"Word will certainly get out that your marriage is not…a normal one, even for a prince. Royal marriages can be interesting, from what I've read," he said, not looking at her. "And some of us at the castle know you are an elf, so they will learn that as well. But very few of us know you are Valtur's daughter."

"Who knows?"

"A few. From the castle there is myself…Saldis was told who you are. I believe that Ulvgeir had to be told before he brought you here."

He was still not looking at her, and something in the way he held himself had her asking, "And who not at the castle?"

"No one you need to worry about," he said, and refused to say anything else despite her efforts.

….

The first farm they visited was small but looked prosperous—its fields swayed with the grain and an orchard to the side of the house was full of trees that were heavy with fruit.

Children came running from to the drive when the cart appeared, streaming from the house and orchard. They were laughing, their little faces round and sun-kissed, and Asrior turned to Hlin, her brow arched.

"They do not look to suffer."

Hlin just gave her a look, and called one of the boys over.

"Truett, come up and hold the ponies for me." And when the boy climbed up eagerly beside him to take the reins, he poked Asrior in the arm. "We're getting down for a bit. Go on."

She climbed from the cart, with Hlin just behind her, and the rest of the children clamored around them. There were six of them, plus the boy in holding the ponies.

"Where's your mother?" Hlin asked, and a little girl with huge brown eyes pointed to the house.

The others were starting at Asrior, their curiosity evident, and one of the older ones, a boy, pulled at Hlin's arm, and whispered, "Is that her?"

"Yes, that's her," he said, his face impassive. "This is Loki's wife, the lady Asrior. But I should really introduce her to your mother first…or to Hjorter. He's in the fields?"

"Yes, he is with Halporr in the far one," another answered. "They won't be in until sunset."

"Thank you. We won't bother them."

Hlin began to walk to the house, and Asrior followed. Most of the children melted toward the orchard, their reluctance obvious, but one of the older ones was reminding them they needed to fill more baskets with apples.

Two smaller ones followed them to the house, though, and with a very low voice, Asrior asked, "Hjorter is their father?"

"No," Hlin said, just as softly. "He's fifteen, I think. Halporr's twelve."

Her chest filled with dread, and though she knew what the answer would be, she asked, "Where is their father?"

But he surprised her, saying, "He is inside."

He knocked hard on the door when they walked up, but the two little ones pushed it open and ran in, calling out that visitors had arrived. A woman's voice answered from the back of the house, and then she appeared from a small door near the stairs, wiping floury hands on her apron. She was similar to Saldis, for her face was lined with care, but she smiled when she saw them.

Hlin bowed, and the woman murmured her regards, before standing still and shyly looking at Asrior. She had dark hair and looked nothing like the children.

"This is the lady Asrior, who is now mistress of Ringsfjord," Hlin said, his voice formal and giving nothing away. "My I present Nessa, the lady of this farm."

Asrior smiled, though her face felt stiff, for she feared the reception she would receive.

But the woman's smile grew larger, and she dipped into a quick curtsey and said, "It is most kind of you to visit us." And then she gave them a bashful look again, and said, "Come…come and meet my husband, Halfjorn."

They followed the woman into a sitting room filled with wildflowers; white and yellow and blue blossoms were set in pottery cups and bowls, and they sat on every surface in the room—on tables and window sills and shelves. One chair sat by one of the windows, and it held a figure covered in a blanket.

It was a man. A man whose face was scarred and dented and so familiar looking that against her will, Asrior found herself whispering, "Kagoq."

But as the word left her lips, she saw that it was an Asgardian, one with gold hair the same color as the children, and he was much taller and thinner than her friend.

He had both eyes as well, though they were clouded. She could tell that he could not see, for he gazed at the wall without looking at any of them, only turning his head when the woman went up to him and took his hand.

"This is Halfjorn," she said, her eyes a mix of pride and sorrow. And she leaned toward him, so that her mouth was near his ear, and she pronounced every word carefully as she said, "Halfjorn…the new mistress of our lands has called on us; she is Asrior, wife to Loki."

The man didn't say anything—he didn't do anything other than stare in the direction of his wife.

Nessa slowly let go of his hand and walked back over, and her voice was quiet as she apologized, "I'm sorry, my lady. He still does not hear much."

It was hard to talk, but she asked, "What…what happened?"

"He was at his brother's farm to the east. Marauders had been attacking at night, taking livestock. Halfjorn went to help, but Dark Elves attacked soon after he arrived. Elves do not just seek to take animals," she explained, and glancing at her husband, added, "We were… we were so happy when we learned he'd survived the attack."

"What about his brother?"

"He was killed, along with his wife. But his children survived. They live with us now." She looked out the window, toward the orchard. "It has been good, having them with us since my husband cannot work. It would be hard to keep the farm without the extra hands helping with the crops."

"But they are children," Asrior began, shocked, but she shut her mouth at Hlin's warning look.

But Nessa looked proud. "Yes, they are. I would like to be able to spend more time teaching them or allowing them time to play, but sometimes people are forced to do what is necessary to survive."

Swallowing at the sudden memory of Birgitta and her burnt bread and off-key songs, Asrior began to speak, but Nessa was still talking, her voice urgent.

"I do not know where you come from, my lady, but if you are aware of our circumstances, know that we want nothing more than to care for ourselves. We can survive on our own, I know we can. But we cannot do that if the royal city stands by and allows the dark elves to attack unchecked…"

Asrior acted impulsively, reaching out to take the woman's hand, and softly told her, "My mother…she did what was needed to protect m…to protect us. We lived in iron mountains to hide from the elves. She did what was needed to survive…so I know."

And then she smiled…a real and gentle smile that did not seek to veil her emotions.

"I promise that you will have the help you need."

Nessa nodded and blinked hard, as though tears threatened, but she held them back, and said, "Thank you, my lady."

Hlin was watching them with interest, but he remained silent; and then the two small girls were running into the room, tearing their attention away.

They carried more wildflowers clutched in their hands, and their voices intermingled as they announced that they had picked more for their uncle.

"My husband loves flowers," she explained, and looked around the room. "He cannot see, and we do not know how much he hears, but he can still _smell_."

And then she bent to the little girls and whispered into their ears. One them whispered back, and at the woman's nod, walked forward to shyly offer her flowers to Asrior.

She bent to take them, suppressing the urge to touch the little girl's hair or to hug her, for she was unsure if such would be welcome.

So she said, "Thank you," instead, and the other girl whispered loudly, saying, "She does not look like a princess." Nessa's face went red as she began to chastise the girl, who insisted, "But she's in old pants!"

She wanted to laugh, but it felt awkward to do so, for Valtur had not liked the sound from her. Still, Asrior agreed, "She is right, I do not look anything like a princess. I doubt that I ever will."

They made their leave soon after that, and when Hlin had taken back the reins and was driving the ponies away from the farm, he murmured, "That was a most interesting story you told about your mother."

Asrior, who was staring at the field they were passing without really seeing anything, did not speak. She clutched the wildflowers in one hand and tried not to think of how the family they had just visited would treat her once they knew she was a dark elf.

As though reading her mind, Hlin said, "Iron mountains, eh? Do you think that will sway them when word spreads from the castle of your true heritage?"

"I told them of my true heritage." Her voice was so low she did not know if he heard, nor did she care. And she did not turn to look at him until they reached the next farm.

It got worse as the day went on, the stories told by the people, for the further they traveled from Okershall, the worse dark elf incursions had been. Hlin's barbs and taunts increased as well, for he greatly seemed to enjoy reminding her that she did not truly belong in these lands.

By the time they circled back toward the castle and entered a village, it was late in the day and her nerves had been worn to shreds.

"We'll find something to eat here and then head back to the castle," he announced, carefully driving the cart through the crowded street.

Her stomach clenched at the memory of all she had witnessed that day.

"I do not care to eat right now."

"You will eat," he said slowly, as if dictating a simple task to a child, "and you will do so in the midst of these people. I do not care if you do not wish dine among such a lowly lot or if you vomit all over me again to prove your point, _my lady_, but you will…"

"Stop calling me that," she growled, turning to glare at him, for she had had enough of his mocking. "And I do not care who I eat with. Do you really think me so uncaring that I can sit and calmly swallow anything after seeing what they did to that child's hands? Of after hearing of how her father died?"

"Why not?" he challenged, stopping the cart and glaring back at her. "Did it bother you before? Or did you even trouble yourself to think about what you father does when he attacks these lands? You can spin more of your yarns about how you so _understand_ the suffering here…"

"What have I done to you?" she hissed, almost losing control. "What have you lost because of dark elves that you continue to attack me like this?"

He did not look ashamed when he said, "Nothing. They have done nothing to me, not personally."

"Then why?" Tell me…before… before I…"

"I am loyal to Loki," he said, his back straight and voice grave. "What was done here is personal to him…and so it matters to me."

Disquiet pushed at the anger, and her voice was wary when she said, "You speak of the lady Vedis."

"I was thinking of his mother. And of Vedis as well." Hlins' voice was low, but filled with an intensity that cut her to the bone. "She was worthy of Loki's regard, you see. She was worthy of these lands. She could have left here, but she stayed because she wanted to help, and your father killed her because of that." And if his goal was to hurt her, his next words found their mark. "Do you know what it is like, knowing that she lies dead and that you are alive? That it is you that are here in her stead, taking the place that Loki wanted to be hers?"

It stung like a slap, and she thought that it was amazing how words could so injure; but Asrior was used to hiding pain. She discovered then that she was as adept at hiding emotional wounds as she was at covering up physical ones.

Allowing the familiar mask to descend over her features, she fixed Hlin with a haughty glare and sneered, "But I am Loki's wife, not Vedis. I was content to be alone, but he pursued me. I did not even think to be his wife until he asked. And now that I am your mistress, you will do as I say, for I tire of your disregard, _servant_. You will take me back to the castle. I have had enough of your lessons for today."

He looked as though he were about to argue, but a commotion nearby caught his gaze.

Asrior looked as well, and saw that a group of people were leaving a shop—a group of men who appeared to be arguing. When one of them caught sight of the cart, and of those who sat in it, he nudged the others, and they all turned.

Their stares turned dark when they saw her, and though their voices grew lower, they managed to sound even more dangerous.

Hlin's hands tightened on the reins, and he actually looked concerned when another man walked up to the crowd. He was not as tall as the others, but he was broad and strong. His hair was black and pulled back into a short knot at his neck, and while his skin was dark, it was not suntanned like the other men's; and when he turned to look at the cart, Asrior saw that he did not look of Ringsfjord or of Asgard.

He turned and began talking to the crowd, and whatever he said calmed them, for they began to disburse.

"Who is that?" Asrior whispered, watching as the other men left.

"That is Hogun."

His voice was strained, the words clipped.

"I have heard of him. He is one of the Warriors Three…"

But she stopped before saying more, for the warrior had turned back to her, and the black eyes that looked at her burned with something much more intense than mere hatred.

"Yes. He was one of them," Hlin said, sounding unwell. "He was also married to Vedis."

If there were any words on her lips, they died there.

Beside her, Hlin clicked his tongue and the cart started rolling. "I did not know he would be here today, or we would not have come. Someone in the village must be sick." And as the cart turned to head out of the village, he gave her a look. "He is good with medicine…with herbs, so he sometimes leaves his cabin to help sick people or their animals. You will stay away from him should you cross his path."

Her entire body was tense. It was obvious that Hogun was the one outside of the castle who knew who she was, and she felt a different kind of fear then she'd felt when facing Loki or the servants.

"He looked as though he'd like to kill me," she whispered, and then muttered darkly, "I'm rather surprised you don't allow it."

Hlin clicked his tongue at the ponies again before saying, "Loki entrusted me with you—and the last thing he needs is my allowing Hogun to kill you and cause more trouble with Thor."

Long minutes passed, and Asrior stared at the woods and fields they passed, though her eyes did not really see. When she next spoke, she asked, "What has my husband done to lay claim to such loyalty as you give?"

"He saved my life," he said, and she dared look at him as though to ask for more. He smirked, and when he continued, his voice was matter-of-fact. "I was left to die as a babe. I am Jotun, see, and that is what they do to runts. Loki found me, and he took me in as his, much Odin did with him. Only he told me the truth about who I was."

She did not know if he expected the news to shock her, but she was a dark elf of Svartalfheim, and Jotuns were not feared there as they were on Asgard. And she had seen too much during her life to color someone as monster simply because of their race.

So when she responded to the news, it was not with surprise or fear or revulsion. She simply blinked and pointed out, "You do not look Jotun. Loki's magic helps make you look of Asgard?"

"Mmmm…and my own. I am learning to manage my true appearance, though I am not always good at it. I am lucky that people here are accustomed to Loki, so I am not so terrifying."

Asrior wondered if magic could hide her ears, but the comparison to the boy next to her only served to bring into stark relief the bitter truth that even among outsiders, she was alone.

"You are lucky that he saw fit to save your life. Not all of us were treated so well."

It was his turn to look at her with a question in his eyes, and her lips curved into a bitter smile.

"When I was barely a babe, it was Asgardians who delivered me to Valtur. And now they condemn me for it."

His eyes narrowed as he watched her, and his voice was dripped with condescension as he said, "Do not make the mistake of thinking me a child or that I am so desperate that I will fall for your stories."

But she was Birgitta's daughter, and she was brave, and whatever hurt or indignity he thought to deliver was nothing she could not withstand.

"You think you know what it is like to feel contempt? What you feel for me is _nothing_ to what I feel for those of you in Asgard."

She turned to gaze blankly at the passing landscape once more, and they did not speak until they were back at the castle.

….

They did not journey out the next day. Hlin claimed that one of the cart's wheels was damaged and needed repair. He would be out seeing to it, he said, and said that she could keep to her own devises so long as she stayed in the castle. She doubted that he told the truth, but did not press the issue, for she could use her time to learn more of her surroundings. It would be good to know the layout of rooms and the movements of servants.

So she explored, going from room to room; and she ignored the frigid glares that Saldis sent any time they crossed paths. The others mostly scurried away in fright when they saw her, but one bold servant—one of the maids she encountered in the new part of the palace—tried to tell her that she was not allowed in the family quarters.

Tired of her treatment, Asrior had smiled sweetly at the girl, and asked, "Did you know that elves are adept at magic?"

Shaking her head, the maid lifted her chin and demanded, "What does that have to do with your trespassing?"

Asrior pulled herself up so that she was standing as tall as possible and pointed out, "Nothing. But if you dare speak to me again, I'll turn you into an ant and step on you."

And when the girl turned and walked away so fast that she was near to running, Asrior felt such pleasure at her lie that it was indecent. She could almost understand why her husband enjoyed the activity so.

Almost.

But there was more to see, and she walked down the grand hall at the top of the stairs in the new wing and poked inside rooms. With each door she opened, her simmering anger grew, for behind them lay bed chambers, richly furnished rooms filled with soft rugs and delicate furniture and positively littered with and blankets and pillows made of brocade and velvet.

When she came upon a larger set of doors, Asrior pushed them open, knowing in her gut what she would find inside.

Though she knew what was there, she did not know what to feel as she walked into Loki's chambers. Stopping just over the threshold, she stood still and took in the room's luxury. The walls were covered in dull gold cloth, and the room's sparkling windows that overlooked the wildflower covered hills were curtained with iridescent gossamer that shimmered in the sunlight.

Her stomach did a flip at the bed that sat in the middle of the room. It was covered in silk—cream and dark green—and was so large that it could have comfortably housed a half dozen full grown Asgardians much less one towering god. She was so focused on it that she barely took in the other furniture, tables and shelves covered in books and glass spheres and other tools of his trade.

Turning on her heel, Asrior stalked out the door and slammed it behind her, muttering darkly to herself that she should simply move into one of the family rooms without permission and see how her husband liked that.

She stomped down the grand stairs, barely noticing that another maid went flying down the hall at her approach, and instinct propelled her toward the room that Loki used to work in, the one where he had told her of his deceit.

Voices could be heard inside, and Asrior stared at it, fuming, ready to charge at it and shove hard…when it opened and Hlin and Emil walked outside.

They were still talking, and it took them a moment to notice her standing in the hall. Emil saw her first, and stopped, and just as Hlin also took her in and said something, Asrior noticed the movement of someone tall and dark-haired inside the room.

Ignoring whatever Hlin was saying, she crossed her arms and gritted, "When did Loki return?"

Emil was stiff, but the boy casually shrugged and said, "You are mistaken. He is not yet back."

"I just saw him," she insisted, and the hairs on her arms were raised. "I am not seeing things."

"Oh…that." And Hlin looked over at the room. "I told you that Loki had ways of communicating over long distances."

Looking annoyed, Emil began, "Is it really a good idea to…to offer up our master's…"

"It is of no concern," Hlin said, and scowled at the other man's look. "The longer she stays here, the more she'll learn of Loki's magic."

The hairs on her arms felt even pricklier, and she looked from one to the other, asking, "What is it?"

Emil sighed and bowed his head at Hlin, muttering, "I still think it unwise to let her know too much. But I'll leave this to you."

He moved down the hall, his body rigid with disapproval, and Hlin watched him for a moment before saying, "Loki will not be back for many days. He is elsewhere, taking care of personal matters."

Asrior raised a brow and said, "I hardly think that is what caused Emil to look so constipated."

"Yes, well…you will find that is a regular expression with him." He smiled for a moment, and almost immediately looked annoyed at himself for doing so. So he scowled and said, "Loki will not be here soon, but we are to expect guests…people from Midgard."

Something in his voice made her look more closely at him, and she narrowed her eyes and asked, "And?"

"These guests from Midgard want to talk to you."

"Why?" She was filled with misgiving and noticed that Hlin looked highly suspicious himself.

"I do not know," he admitted, and rubbed his hair. "You will have to ask them yourself. I only know that it is imperative you speak to them."

She stared at him, her mind whirring. "That is all that Loki said?"

"Most of it."

He did not say any more, but something about the way he held himself told her that she had a bit of control over the situation.

She surprised herself when she said, "Very well then. I will speak to them…if you allow me to see a record of what Loki received from me upon our marriage."

Hlin shook his head as though he had not heard right.

"I'm sorry…did you say…"

"You heard me." And her chin went up as she challenged him. "I want to see a record of what assets of mine were turned over to my husband upon our marriage."

"Why?" His voice was hard and loaded with suspicion.

"Because that is the only way I will speak to the Midgardians," she answered, not admitting that she herself was not entirely sure why she demanded such…she just wanted to see what Valtur had put into her name. "It is not like I can steal from a piece of paper. I do not seek access to the money, I merely want a record."

_For now._

He sighed and did not speak, obviously weighing his options in his mind. And minutes passed before he finally relented.

"Very well. I'll send you the information as soon as I can get a copy made."

She nodded. "I also require a place of my own to work in." And she nodded to the room behind them. "It does not need to be large, but I need a desk and shelves and a door for privacy."

Hlin looked as though he were about to explode, but he merely nodded again.

"I'll see to it."

"Alright, then," she said, giving him a brisk nod. "We have a bargain, I suppose." And when he grunted in annoyed agreement, she asked, "Who are the Midgardians that are coming?"

"One will not be here until Loki arrives, later this week. The other arrives in a few days' time. His name is Bruce Banner."

"What can you tell me of him?"

"I do not know much. He is a scientist on Midgard." At her unsure look, he explained, "He studies how their world works. Alchemy, I suppose."

She did not like the sound of that, for she thought she now knew why he wanted to talk to her. But she had made a bargain.

"Remember, I will not speak with him until I have what I want."

Hlin gave her a tight nod. "I said I would do it." And then an odd smile crossed his face and he added, "Loki did say one thing…he said since you're so fond of labeling people monsters, you should enjoy spending time with Bruce."

He turned and walked back into the room without a backward glance; and when the door shut behind him, Asrior realized that despite the concessions she had won from him, she felt decidedly at a disadvantage.

….

A day later, Hlin escorted her down a small hall near the foot of the turret stairs. A small, windowless room sat at the end of it, and he pushed open the door and said, "I thought this might work. It's private, so you won't be disturbed while you're in here."

Her brow lifted at once again being hidden in the back of the old keep, and she murmured, "And I won't disturb anyone else."

"Something like that," he admitted, and watched as she stepped into the room.

It almost cozy, the little closet of a room, with its stone walls and old wooden shelves. A workbench was built across from the shelves, its wood gray with use and age. Every surface was bare and the floor swept clean, but it had obviously been used for something other than sitting and reading.

Asrior turned to Hlin, and asked, "What kind of room was this?"

He shrugged. "I think it was used as a storeroom for the old greenhouse."

"Greenhouse?"

And he stepped into the hall a bit and tilted his head to the left. "Yes. It's just through there, but it hasn't been used in…well, I'm not sure. Not since I've been here."

She moved out of the room and saw that he was looking at a battered wooden door. And moving to it, she pushed at it, hard, until it opened. Its hinges creaked in protest, and she coughed at the dust that rose when the door hit the dirty floor on the other side of it.

Waving her hand in front of her to clear the air, Asrior pushed the door open more; it led to a small, dark hallway with dull light was streaming from its other end. And without waiting to see if Hlin followed, she moved toward the light, curious as to what lay beyond.

The greenhouse she stepped into was not very large, but it had a tall, sloped ceiling and windows that stretched from floor to roof. The panes were filled with grime, letting little real light in, but they were mostly unbroken.

As she looked around more, Hlin stepped in, and muttered, "There's a more modern one in the new wing, closer to the kitchens."

Numerous large planters sat on both sides of the room, either empty or with ancient, dried out weeds falling over their edges. She began to walk along the stone floor that led like a path through them, moving toward a large row of pots that held trees and shrubs; they sat near a low row of partially opened windows that allowed rain in, apparently, for though some had long since died, others were clinging to life.

Asrior stopped when she got to them, her eyes growing wide. Over-grown, sickly-looking berry bushes sat in the small pots and scraggly lemon and orange trees in others, and in the two largest pots…

"Those are peach trees," she said, turning to look at Hlin.

"Are they?" His hands were in his pockets, and he looked at the half-dead trees with disinterest.

"Yes, they are," she whispered, and then she turned to him and announced, "The room will do fine for my work. You have copies of my financial records ready?"

"Yes," he nodded and scratched the back of his neck. "I still don't know what you want with them. You cannot access any of it, so any of your plots…"

She turned on her heel, ignoring him. "Good. Have them brought to the room, along with blank paper and something to write with."

Hlin, sounded very frustrated, called out mockingly, "As you order, my lady." And then, louder, "And be ready to ride out tomorrow. The cart will be ready first thing in the morning."

When the papers were delivered to her little room, Asrior arranged them neatly on the workbench; but she left them there untouched, for her first task was cleaning the greenhouse. She found a timid maid and ordered the girl to bring buckets and mops and soap, and as soon as she had her tools and was left alone, she set about cleaning.

She started with the windows, a task which took the rest of the day; and the next morning, she rode out with Hlin again to see more of the lands around Okershall.

It was obvious that gossip was spreading that she was an elf, for the families she met during her second journey out were not as welcoming as the first. But they were more wary than purely antagonistic, and she guessed they had not yet learned whose daughter she was.

She did not have to think about it too much, for their trip that day lasted only a few hours. Hlin had the little cart turned back toward the castle at midday, grumbling that he had other needs to attend to that afternoon.

And so she soon found herself in the greenhouse again, and once the very tops of the windows were cleaned—using long mops and step ladders—she set about cleaning the planters. The job was tiresome, for the roots were buried deep in the dried-out dirt.

She was bent over one of the planters late in the afternoon, digging out a particularly stubborn plant when she heard the tread of slow footsteps and an unfamiliar voice.

"Hi? Hello… Excuse me?"

Pushing up to sit on the edge of the planter, Asrior turned and saw a man whose face looked vaguely familiar. He had dark hair that curled over his brow, and he looked almost embarrassed to have disturbed her.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking as uncomfortable as he sounded, "I'm looking for someone… The…ah…mistress of this place."

She recognized him then; he was the Midgardian who had sat next to Queen Jane at the banquet where she had exposed Pauluus's true age. It felt like a lifetime since she had been at court.

But she did not let on that she knew him, instead stating, "You seek Loki's wife."

"Yes." His feet shuffled. "I was told she could be found this way, but the room she was supposed to be in is empty. Have you seen… I mean… I had thought…"

Taking pity on him, Asrior stood, turning to face him fully. "You've found me, then. I'm Asrior, wife to Loki and mistress of Okershall for now. You must be the Midgardian I was told about."

She did not know what to expect, but he surprised her.

"Forgive me for being a bit scatter-brained, but I was expecting you to look different." His head was tilted to the side as he took in her appearance.

She wondered if he thought she'd have the pale greyish skin of most dark elves, and asked, "How did you expect me to look?"

He shrugged. "Not covered in dirt." And he moved his hands expressively, saying, "Your husband… Loki, he's always dressed in that gold armor, with his headdress…" His hands moved to above his head. "…with the big horns…"

Smirking, she nodded. "Yes, I see." And she looked down at the simple dress Geror had made for her. "This is the finest dress I own these days. You will find that I am not like my husband." She paused, and her voice grew harder. "Or like my father."

"I don't expect you to be either one of them." He sounded sincere. Then he began to walk toward her, a slow smile spreading over his face as he gave her his hand. "I'm Bruce Banner. Of…Midgard."

Asrior took the hand he offered, surprised when he shook it instead of taking it to his mouth in the traditional Asgardian greeting; and though her voice was wary, she could feel herself softening toward him. "I am Asior. Of nowhere."

He smiled at that, a gentle sort of grin. "I have to admit, you don't like an elf… at least, not what I thought an elf would look like."

"Then we are of an accord. You don't look like I expected either."

The hand holding hers slipped away, and he trust it into a pocket, a self-deprecating and bitter look flitting across his face. "Right…you mean the monster. Loki would tell you about that."

The tone of his voice stirred something in her—a recognition that they were somehow connected by circumstances or temperament. And before she realized what she was doing, Asrior's hand moved to the hair flowing over her shoulder, and she lifted it, turning so that he could see her ear.

It was the first time she had willingly shown anyone proof of her dark elf blood.

"See? I am indeed an elf. A dark elf, and Valtur the Unmerciful's daughter, no less. I am sure you have been told about him."

Bruce looked at her ear, but his eyes did not linger there; they moved to catch her own gaze, and she saw that he felt the same kinship.

"I'd like to be able show you what I have to hide, but it's not quite as simple for me." He paused, and then explained, "Sometimes…when I allow that part of me to be exposed…people get hurt."

She dropped her hair, allowing it to flow over her shoulders and down her back again; and she watched him carefully, watched the muscle twitch on his jaw before she said, "I am not sure exactly what you are, but I suspect you do not mean for people to get hurt. That makes a difference, I think."

He looked at the ground, and then back up at her, his smile turning rueful. "You aren't what I expected Loki's wife to be like. And I don't mean the way you're dressed either."

Asrior could feel heat beginning to fill her cheeks, for she was unused to such close scrutiny. "Yes…well… What can I help you with? I was told that you wanted to talk to me, but not about the actual subject."

"Actually, just now, I was sent to tell you it's time for supper. We can discuss other matters later, when Tony gets here." He offered an arm, and she smiled at the courtly gesture, putting one of her grimy hands on the crisp white of his sleeve.

"Tony?" she asked, and then looked at her hand and frowned, "I'm sorry, I'm getting you dirty. I didn't notice the time…I should get cleaned up…"

But when she tried to slip her hand away, Bruce put his other on it to keep her there, and he shook his head. "Nah. You're fine like that." And the smile he gave her was positively wicked. "To tell you the truth, Loki's little…lackeys…were rather insistent that we follow their orders. I won't be terribly offended if you do anything to put either one of them in a snit."

She almost smiled at that, but still managed to get away to wash the dirt from her hands and face before sitting to eat; but when she found herself in the formal dining room not long after, her simple gown was still streaked with dirt. Elim's face went red when he noticed the state of her gown, but Bruce send her a look of approval.

His presence made sitting down for the meal bearable, despite Hlin's obvious coldness towards her; and it was almost easy to ignore Emil, who kept looking at Asrior as though she were a bug that had landed in his soup.

Bruce sat next to her as they ate, his face filled with low-keyed humor, and he asked a continuous flow of questions about the lands around Okershall. He was unassuming, but at the same time, managed to dominate the conversation, and the others at the table forgot to give her mean looks or even notice her presence.

Indeed, at one point, they were so riveted to him as he told a story about a Midgardian land called India that Asrior managed to slip two silver forks, a salt shaker, and three teaspoons into her pockets without Hlin seeing.

It was truly amazing, the power the easygoing Asgardian held over the others. By the time the meal ended, Hlin and Emil barely noticed when Asrior bid her leave for the evening.

She almost made it to the door.

But Hlin's voice stopped her, sounding highly annoyed at the fact that he'd almost let her go.

"Leave the silver, my lady."

She turned, her face growing red. "I don't know what…"

He had stood and crossed his arms, and though he looked small next to the two older men, it was obvious he had grasped control of the situation.

"The forks. The salt shaker. The three spoons that you are trying to steal. Leave them."

Asrior's face grew even hotter, and she began throwing the lot onto the table, not able to look at Bruce as she muttered, "I do not know how you have magicked these, but I warn you…"

"It's not magic."

Startled, she paused in mid-throw, for it was Bruce who had spoken.

And the eyes he turned to her were not critical, and his voice was kind as he explained, "Hlin counted the silver before you sat down. It's not magic."

The bond she felt with him returned, and as the heat left her face, she gave him a smile. The knowledge that Hlin used so simple a trick would be useful.

"Thank you," she said, and her smile grew so that it spread across her face and made it glow. "I like you, Midgaridan."

He looked a bit stunned for moment, but when her face retuned to its usual composed mask, he blinked. And when he smiled in return, his, like hers, was wide and real.

"You're very welcome, my lady. I think I feel the same."

* * *

**And now to answer a few comments and questions :).**

**CallMeKia**-thank you for reviewing! That is really kind of awesome that you were having someone print the updates so you could read in the hospital...not cool that you were in the hospital, though, and I sincerely hope all is ok. And I'm really glad you like Asrior, because she is strong and brave and very sweet and gentle underneath it all as well. Some chapters, like this one, revolve mostly around her in the first half of the story, so it helps if you like her ;).

**candy flaps**-yay for quick updates! Unfortunately, this one wasn't quite as quick. You'll get to see Stark and his lab rat next chapter, I promise! and I think it will be quite amusing too (in fact, one of my favorite running gags gets it's start then...)

**Guest 2**-Excellent, as always, in regards to ol' red eyes. You'll have to wait to see about knowledge regarding Valtur (as you see, very little is even known about Asrior's background in Asgard). Loki will learn not to underestimate Thor among others, and he learns eventually not to overestimate himself.

**London Calling**-see, you were right about Asrior and Banner getting along so well. For all that he's one of the most powerful of the Avengers, he's also (in his non-Hulk form) one of the more gentle and insightful of the group. And Loki, well, he'll have a hard time ignoring his wife, much as he might try. For as big of a s*** that he can be, Loki admires kindness and bravery, and it might be difficult for him to admit that he married a very brave and kind woman.

**sidlewild**-that is probably one of the best compliments I've ever received. Thank you!

**Shelly**-yes, Asrior is very very touch and extremely vulnerable (though she does not like to show it at all). Thanks for reviewing! And there isn't very much about Asrior that Loki will find easy, and parting with her? there's one line that just...this is where I know what happens and you don't, but I really really really hope it works out right when I write it.

**Guest** that came after Guest 2 (because my insightful Guest 2 let me know who it was)-thanks for your kind words! Asrior does indeed need an ally, but she might find them in surprising places!

**HarryPotterFreakie**- I'm glad you liked your welcome home present! Here's to hoping the next update goes quicker. And thanks for reviewing!

**Nezumi**-kjdskf;adskfj;asdklfjas;lkdjfa;slkdfja jfklsadjflka; is code for I know everyone's reactioni to finding out and getting to know Asrior, and I can't tell you, not yet, without spoiling everything. But it's hopefully worth it when it happens. And the kid is not related to Loki by blood, but they now you know they are both Jotuns. You'll find out more about Valtur and those men of Asgard who do not like their current rulers later... And thanks for reviewing!

**Guest 3**-LOL, you are right, Loki needs to stop being such a little bastard and think instead of feed his prejudices. Ah, but then the story would end much sooner because the sooner Loki sees the 'real' Asrior, the sooner he, well... And as it is, he will have a hard enough time ignoring her even when he thinks he just hates her...

Thanks for reviewing everyone! Here's to a quick update filled with Snarky Tony going toe-to-toe with a "I'm fed up with this BS" elf topped off with a big serving of "I said kneel!" Loki.


	9. Chapter 8-Stark realities

A/N-And here we have more of Loki (and his POV) and Stark.

Thanks to my readers and reviewers and followers. The feedback is awesome. Please review and let me know what you think, it's always fun to read your speculation, thoughts, etc...and is very appreciated.

I'll add comments in a bit. I have to reread and do edits (because no matter how much I edit before posting, I always find more once it's published).

And without much ado, the next chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 8— Stark realities**

Loki did not like to dream.

For one thing, his dreams rarely made sense, and because of that, they almost always left him feeling anything but rested when he rose from sleep. And then there was the fact that they were something he found hard to control.

Because if it were simple to exert his power over his sleeping mind, he would have dreamed of anything but _her_.

The twilight blue eyes and blood red hair that haunted his most recent nights were as welcome as a plague, and the words that echoed in his head even less so.

_You think you are noble and right, but you are no better than my father._

What was worse was the way he could feel her in them, as though she were real, and it was always the same—her whisper light body beneath him, as fine and as easily crushed a petal. The fierce touch on his hair that made him jerk awake and look around in the darkness for the sight of her.

He loathed such weakness.

And his mood as he walked through the royal palace to meet with his brother could only be described as foul.

It was pathetic, he thought, for he had lain with her only once and had kept contact with her to a minimum. His night with Lorelei had not been enough to erase the memory of the elf from his mind—obviously—and he debated whether he should bother trying with her again or find another willing goddess.

But he had to find Thor first and give him the bad news, and that prospect only made his face grow darker as he made his way into the warriors' rooms. They were waiting there, all of them, and when he saw and remembered exactly who _all of them _encompassed, he actually growled.

Naturally, Stark heard the sound and turned with a smirk, watching s Loki stalked over to the fire pit where the group was assembled.

"Is it me, or does it look like someone just found out they can't join in the reindeer games? What's wrong? Donner tell you to take your ball and go home?"

The annoying mortal looked around at the others as he spoke, but his attempt at banter was met by blank stares and Sif's, "I never understand him," aside to Fandral.

Loki ignored him, and moved to stand on the other side of the pit, close to where Thor was sitting next to Volstagg. His brother was bent over so that his elbows rested on his thighs, and something about the look on his face as he smiled up at him reminded Loki of the time before he had become king.

"I take it he means that Loki is in a temper, Sif," Thor said, and added with real concern, "You look tired as well, brother."

Fandral opened his mouth to speak, a wicked glint in his eyes, but before he could make a sound, Loki snapped, "If you make one remark about Lorelei, I will shrink your manhood to the size of an acorn."

Volstagg snorted. "Well, that might be an impro…" But he stopped at the sight of Loki's face and muttered, "Sorry. We have been trying to lighten the mood, all of us."

Thor was watching him closely, though, and his voice sounded almost weary as he said, "You should sit. Tell us how the journey to Nidvallier went."

But Loki did not want to sit, for he felt as though he needed to stand when he delivered the news.

"There is no talk in Nidvallier of my marriage. The magistrate that conducted the ceremony has been excellent at holding his tongue, surprisingly, and the woman who gave board to the…to my wife has no idea who Asrior married when she left. She seemed to think it was a longstanding arrangement," he said, delivering the good news before delving into the bad. "However, word reached me that news of my marriage is well known in Ringsfjord, and many know that I married an elf. In Hindi, the locals are gossiping of a dark elf female that traveled through with an escort of Asgardians."

The others looked at him, and Stark said, "So if I remember my geography correctly…it won't be long until the good people in Hindi put two and two together…"

"Yes. And the news will spread from there into the other low countries. Only a few know whose daughter she is, but I cannot guarantee that won't eventually spread as well," Loki admitted, and the look he gave his brother was almost apologetic. "It appears that my rash actions cannot be hidden. Not now."

Instead of looking angry, however, Thor looked rueful. "It is of no matter. My meeting with the Queen Alfyse went about as well as your journey."

Finally allowing himself to sit on one of the benches, Loki asked, "What do you mean?"

"It means that Svartalfheim's ruler requires more evidence than I can give in order to condemn Valtur for his actions on Midgard. It appears my word as to who attacked me is not enough." His laugh was bitter. "Much as Hogun's word was not enough for me, or your counsel as to Valtur's character. I am being paid back for my own arrogance."

"Karma." Stark spoke, sitting next to Loki. "We call it karma where I come from."

Ignoring him, Loki gave Thor a grim look. "So Valtur the Unmerciful is free to do as he wishes?"

"On his own realm, yes. And any attempt of mine to seek justice while he hides on Svartalfheim would be an act of war." Thor's shoulders slumped. "And the Queen has also made it clear that she will be most displeased if you married one of her subjects due to mischief on your part. So it does us no good to try to silence the matter. It is a fine mess."

Sif, who had been silent until then, put her hands on her hips and said, "There's more." And then, with her chin out as though challenging Thor, she added, "Tell him."

His brother sighed and looked up, and then sighed again, before finally saying, "I have a copy of your marriage contract, and…"

When Thor paused, something tingled down Loki's spine, and his eyes narrowed. "What is it?"

"It is highly irregular. The contract."

"_How_?" Loki demanded, though he knew what the answer would be.

And for the first time since he entered the room, Thor looked annoyed at him. "You know how. All you had to do was consummate the marriage and everything of value that was hers—everything her father put into her name when she was betrothed to Jerrick—is now yours."

"Yes…I think I mentioned before that her fortune was mine…"

"Yes, it's all yours even if you had divorced her the moment after you left her bed," Thor said, his jaw set. "Do you realize how unusual such a stipulation is? Especially when a prince of Asgard marries into a noble house of a different realm? Did you think how it would look if _you _with your history were party to such a contract? It looks as though you were playing tricks."

"Well, I was tricking her," he said defensively. "You weren't listening to any of us…how else was I to…"

"Do you know what position you have put me in?" Thor's voice thundered over his. "Why is it that your need to be right must always undermine your ability to think? You are probably the smartest man I know, and yet you insist upon taking the most reckless actions, Loki."

Anger burned in him at the censure and reminder of his past sins; but it flared in part because it was true, and truth had almost as much power as personal injustice to fuel Loki's less noble emotions. So when he answered his brother, his voice was tight with resentment—but he had the grace to look slightly remorseful as well.

"I will admit…I did not think that far beyond the marriage. I may…_may _have acted rashly in trying to find a way to prove that I was right."

"May have?" But Thor's anger was gone as quickly as it came, and he rubbed his eyes. "And I should have listened to you and the others earlier…and involved Alflyse when I had my own suspicions about her emissary." He pressed his lips together, and when he spoke again, he looked almost embarrassed. "Definitely, I should have said something to her before I engaged Tony to help with the weapons."

"She didn't like the part about them specifically targeting her race, huh?" Stark asked glibly.

"You are incredibly flippant for one just as involved in this as Thor." Sif glared at him from her place near a window and shook her head. "Men. Always so obscenely over-confident in themselves."

The mortal made a face, but Thor smiled slightly and said, "Sif is right. We were all so confident in our own opinions that we did not think. Just like when we hunted Perytons as children." And he looked at Loki, sounding wistful at the memory. "Do you remember?"

"I remember you getting trapped by one, and me having to save you." Loki answered, trying not to give in to his own sentimentality, for he realized why his brother looked different; Thor was sitting with them instead of having them go to him, taking in their companionship and assistance in a way he had not done since assuming the throne. He almost looked lonely. "And we drifted in that boat for days so that you could learn a lesson from Odin."

Thor gave a grunt of laughter, and Loki waited for the reminder that he had been the cause of their drifting. But his brother's words surprised him. "That was a very fine fog you conjured. I never did thank you for saving me."

"Yet it got us into a bigger mess," Loki admitted after a moment, trying to ignore the thickness in his throat. And then he remembered telling Asrior the tale without cunning or guile on his part, for when she sat so peacefully and watched him with quiet eyes, it had been easy to forget who she was. Frowning at the memory, he looked at his boots and grunted, "So what do we do now?"

"You go back to Okershall with Stark," Thor said, and he had the audacity to add, "And you will learn to act the devoted husband." Loki's mouth opened in protest, but his brother continued, looking like a king again, "At the very least, you cannot divorce her. Not yet. You will keep the marriage until I have resolved some of this with her queen—and that may mean that you relinquish what you have taken from her."

Stark was watching the play of emotions on Loki's face as he absorbed the news, and rubbed his chin, saying, "Why is it that I get the feeling I'm going to enjoy my stay with the Laufeysons?"

Pushing to stand, he gave the Midgardian a scathing look, and when he noticed that he once again wore the gaudy gold ring on his left hand, Loki hid the smirk that threatened to break free. He should really remind him of the elf's thieving habits, but it would serve him right if he lost the damn thing to her again.

So he bowed his head toward his brother instead, and said, "It was a long journey from Nidvallier. I should find something to eat and then try to rest before preparing to journey home."

_And find Lorelei and…_

Thor must have read his face, for before he could move, his brother added, "Oh...and you will keep to yourself while you are at court. I do not want to hear of dalliances with Lorelei. Or any others."

Loki raised a brow at his audacity, but Thor explained, "There are some we rule who would like nothing better than to sow even more distrust between myself and the Queen of Svartalfheim. I do not want word reaching her ears that you have been married to Valtur's daughter for less than a fortnight and already are rutting with other women while you are at court."

The men sitting around the fire were smirking, and Sif, who had been brooding by her window, gave him a sympathetic look.

But Loki bowed again, and between clenched teeth managed, "As you wish, brother."

….

It had been years since she'd had nightmares, not since the time she'd had to adjust to life at the fortress without Kagoq. But since the morning when she'd fainted and vomited all over Hlin at the prospect of riding a horse, the dreams had returned.

Always it was the same, the weight of the beast bearing down on her, the blackness as it covered her body, and the sound of Valtur's laughter, and the grief…

Just as the wretched longing for her mother built up in her, Asrior would somehow wrench herself from the dream; and she would sit up in bed and curl against the headboard, pressing her fingers into her arms and face as though the sharp feel of her nails would remind her that she was awake, and she would whisper to herself over and over.

_It was just a dream. You are safe here at Okershall_.

And as remarkable as it was—despite all the anger and distrust and hate aimed at her, despite the terrible dreams that woke her—she knew she was just that.

Safe.

No one hit her. Not even Loki, not when she had deliberately angered him after learning of his deception. Hlin merely used words, and Saldis ignored her; and the villagers and farmers whispered darkly about her, but they kept their distance.

But no one beat her. She did not have to feel the humiliation of baring her back and waiting for the whip to fall. She did not have to bite her lips so hard that they bled so that Valtur would not get the pleasure of hearing her cry out. She did not have to leave her body and escape to that secret place in her mind when the pain became unbearable.

That by itself was freeing.

In the past week, she learned that she could take this life for now. And it would be on her terms.

Her room was graced with the flowers the child on the farm had given her, and more that she'd picked on her own. She'd marched into the family wing and taken vases and bowls, and then plush little pillows and silken blankets and even demanded that servants bring a small settee to sit in front of her fireplace.

She'd spent the night hours in her little workroom, going over the records of the fortune that Loki had tricked from her; and she'd taken to writing down the names of the people she had stolen from—or at least those she remembered—for if he were to make use of it, he should return the jewels and coins to their rightful owners first.

The greenhouse was almost clean as well, for she worked there whenever possible; and Bruce had joined her often, say little as he dug out roots and helped with new seedlings, his silent and calm presence more comforting than anything she could ever remember.

So the nightmares, in the end, meant little, she told herself. She could face anything this land could give to her and somehow make it hers.

She could face even the wreckage of yet another family who looked at her with a mixture of distrust and fear.

"My lady," Hlin was saying, the words mocking, "May I present Aatos, who now works for the smithy, along with his only surviving son, Ren."

And she bowed her head toward them, taking in their story along with their battered faces and suspicion, committing all of it memory, for their names and circumstances would be added to another of her lists—this one a record of what was owed to the people here, for she would also ensure that her husband used her money to make remuneration to them.

When the man and child went back toward the blacksmith's, she turned to Hlin and asked, "Did you remember to send a man to the Halfjornson farm to help with their roof?"

"Yes, my lady," he said, snorting. "Little good it will do you…"

She turned on her heel and left him there, tired of his constant badgering, and she was almost to the brewer's house when he caught up with her.

"Do not do that again," he snapped, scowling at her. "We are not yet done here. There is a…"

"I am done for meeting new people for today," she said, talking over him. "You said earlier that we were heading back to the castle at midday again. That leaves me enough time to stop by the brewery to see if Vidar had news from his daughter. I promised I would check when I was next in the village."

She kept walking as she talked, her eyes on the building she was moving toward. Hlin was walking beside her, and though she was not looking at him, she could feel his frustration.

"You do not dictate our schedule," he snapped.

Stopping so suddenly that Hlin almost tripped in keeping up with her movements, Asrior put her hands on her hips. And she raised her chin, stating with authority, "Yes I do. I am mistress here, and while you might see yourself as my husband's ward, you are nothing but a servant to me. You will do as I say, not the other way around."

He crossed his arms and challenged her, spitting, "Loki put you in _my _charge…"

"And I have put up with it so well that you cannot complain. I have not strayed where I am not allowed, nor have said half the things that cross my tongue despite…"

"You stole from the new wing of the castle," he accused, and she could tell her attitude was getting to him, for the eyes that narrowed at her were turning red. "You have threatened half of the staff with magic that you do not possess, and I cannot get them to believe me when I tell them otherwise."

"It is not half the staff, I only threatened those who deserved it. And I did not steal from the new wing, for everything I took will remain at Okershall when I leave. You can shun me to a tower, but I refuse to live in discomfort when so much goes unused." Her chin inched higher. "And I will visit the brewer. I promised him, and I keep my promises as you well know."

They were attracting even more attention than normal; the villagers were always aware of her presence when Hlin drove the cart into the square. But they usually kept their looks discrete and avoided her whenever possible.

But now they stared openly, and Asrior was aware of the odd sight they presented as they argued. She looked more like a farm hand than the evil elf mistress of Okershall, wearing the boy's old pants with her hair an unkempt tumble over her shoulders. And she dared challenge the little frost giant Loki had put in charge of her—a boy whose vexation was now turning his pale skin the slightest shade of blue.

Asrior did not like being the object of such public scrutiny, so she turned again and did not bother saying more.

Hlin walked with her, fuming silently at her side. When she visited Vidar, the pudgy brewer whose daughter lived close to the border with Hindi, the boy remained silent, simply nodding when she ordered him to send men to fetch the woman and her children and bring them to the village.

He did not speak until they were back in the cart, the ponies pulling them back toward the castle.

"Do you think what you are doing will make any difference?" he asked, his voice low and filled with an intense dislike. "They will never accept you. They will never take your side against Loki. Is that why you try? Do you think if you are so _kind _and _understanding_ that they will forget the sins of your people?"

"What do you want me to do" she asked, turning to him, itching with annoyance. "Am I to visit these people and do nothing? Is this supposed to be all for show, my touring these lands and hearing of so much distress…or will you allow me to do something while I am here?"

"And what do you a dark elf can do?" He was looking at her with such derision that she longed to scream.

Instead, she pulled her back straight and tried her best to sound like the wife of a prince despite her ramshackle appearance. "Act as mistress of these lands and help the people who live here. And if they eventually look upon me with more kindness, well, I hope so, if only because it will dissatisfy you."

He shook his head and turned his attention back to the road, muttering, "Alright." And his jaw was set as he repeated, "Alright."

And he sat in silence until they neared the castle, but as the cart neared the hill that led to Okershall, he turned it onto a small path that headed to the forest.

Her skin prickling in apprehension, Asrior turned to him, demanding, "Where are you taking me?"

Hlin's jaw was still stiff. "We have time for one more stop…my lady."

And she saw they were near to a circle of trees, inside of which sat boulders, some lying alone, others piled next to each other.

As the cart drew to a stop, Hlin said, "Legend is that the boulders are remnant of a great battle between the first lord of these lands and giants that live to the north, near the Cave of Ages in Nornheim. The giants were said to have thrown them at the lord in an effort to kill him. We're getting down so you can take a closer look."

Still filled with disquiet, she slid from the cart and followed as Hlin walked between the trees. When he stopped at the first group of boulders, he put his hand on one, and she saw that names were carved into the rock.

"The giants did not kill the lord, but many of his soldiers died. And in the aftermath, when the giants were slain themselves or retreated, the survivors carved the names of those who had given their lives in the glorious battle here on these rocks. And over the years, when people of Ringsfjord were so killed, their names were added to the list. And for centuries, they were added to this pile, right here."

His hand lowered to his side, and he moved to another set of boulders; and though Asrior suddenly wanted to run and hide, she followed him, her face a mask of calmness.

"When people die here in Ringsfjord, they are celebrated after a period of mourning, as is custom across Asgardia—for the honored dead leave for Valhalla. But the feasts are hollow these days, for we all know that it is only a small matter of time until the next celebration is to begin." He words were quiet and bitter, and the eyes he turned to her then burned bright red. "What took a millennia and a hundred battles to fill has been beaten in a handful of years because of your father and others like him."

And Asrior saw that the rest of the boulders that lay beyond the original monument were also covered in names.

Hlin's lips pressed together at her look of horror, and the corner of his mouth lifted as he moved to a smaller boulder near them. He stopped at it and pointed at a group of names. "This is all of Saldis's family. Her husband was killed first, just before Malekith attacked Asgard. Her only two daughters and their husbands were killed just last year, when your father returned."

And then he was at another boulder, saying, "These are two of Ulvgeir's sons. He has only daughters left now, though one is left maimed and cannot take care of his grandsons."

His steps slowed as he walked toward one of the largest; it stood alone, and he stared at one name in the middle of it, and his voice was rough as he gritted, "And so you see, you can act the mistress here. You can help these people by giving them food or ordering Loki's men to rebuild their homes. But one elf's good works will never be enough to atone for this."

Asrior did not realize that she had moved, but she was beside him, staring at the name he gazed at, knowing before she saw it who was memorialized on the boulder.

Only there were two names there—the goddess Vedis, who had died during spring according to the date carved by her name. And a child, a boy named Yuanxu, born two days before he died alongside his mother.

She felt dizzy, as though she had been delivered a blow to the head; and she tried to tear her eyes away from the names and to speak, to say something…

_Not a baby…_

But Hlin's voice ripped over her. "I do not know why Loki bought you here. I do not understand why he insists upon forcing your presence on these people. But if you insist upon trying to help them, then you should also understand why such efforts will mean little in the end."

Her weak leg was shaking uncontrollably or else she would have turned and run.

Instead, her throat burning, her eyes suddenly blurred, she grated, "Leave me."

_There was a baby…_

"Do not think you can so easily…"

She turned her head so quickly that she startled both of them, and shouted, "Leave me! I am mistress of these lands and you will do as I say!" The boy's image swam before her, but she would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her wipe her eyes like a weakling. "Go on…leave!"

"As you wish," he said, and she could hear in his voice that he saw that he had wounded her and that he took pleasure in it.

But he turned and did as she ordered, leaving her alone.

When she was sure he had gone, she began to rub at her face with her sleeve; and after a moment, she felt as though she could move without falling down. She turned, walking at first, and then began running, heading toward the forest that lay just beyond the boulders.

Asrior didn't know why she wanted to go into the woods, for she was driven by the sheer instinct to hide. But as she reached the edge of the forest, it closed up on her, turning into an unending tangle of branches and thorns that she could not get through.

Frustrated, she turned and began running along the forest's edge, looking for a way in. She would see an opening just ahead, and she jumped toward it; only the branches closed again. Panting, she turned back the way she had come, her hands pushing at the branches, and then pulling until her hands bled, but there was no way inside.

The forest would not let her in—part of Loki's magic used to keep her prisoner at the castle.

A cry rose in her throat, and Asrior kept pushing at the branches, her voice hoarse as she cried, "Why? Why do you do this?"

Dry sobs rose within her, for as much as she ran, she could not get the image of the boy's name from her head. And she closed her eyes and hid her face in her hands, falling to her knees, not knowing who she wanted to scream at more, her husband or her father.

"Why? He was just a baby. Why a child?" she asked, raising her voice as though her father might hear if she shouted loudly enough. "Why do have to hurt children? What sick pleasure can you possibly get from such pain?"

Her hands pushed into her hair to cover the ears she so hated, and she rocked her body, overcome with the understanding that Hlin was right—no matter what help she gave to the people, no matter how quiet a life she tried to make, she would never find belonging here—and for the first time, she realized that she might never find such a place.

"Wasn't it enough to hurt me? Why do you have to hurt everyone you see?" The words were almost whisper, and she lamented her inability to cry, for there was such a tightness in her chest that she thought she would die from the pressure of it. "Why must I pay the cost of it?"

Slowly, her body stilled and the sounds forced from her throat ended, and she closed her eyes and tried to find a kind of quiet, much as she did after the nightmares. She did not know how long she sat there, but when her breath finally slowed and the images in her mind eased enough for her to stand, she begin making her way back to the castle.

She was almost embarrassed at her breakdown, for she had taught herself to be immune to such weakness when she was just a child. And as she walked up the sloping hill toward Okershall, the one thing that comforted her was the fact that she had been alone and away from prying eyes when she had the fit. She had that much at least.

She was Birgitta's daughter. She could handle _anything…_

But Asrior's legs slowed and her stomach clenched as she neared the castle's entry, for a great sorrel horse and a massive carriage with the king's crest were being led around the side to the stables.

Loki was back at Okershall.

….

He was trying very hard not to lose his temper.

It had been bad enough, traveling across country with the most grating mortal Midgard had ever had the misfortune to spit out; but now he was being subjected to Emil's oily bows and excuses for not knowing anything about the estate he was supposed to manage.

"I do not know where the lady Asrior is, my lord," Emil was saying, dipping into another grating low bow. "She has not returned since she left the palace this morning with Hlin."

"Whose whereabouts you also are ignorant of."

"As I said just a moment ago, my liege." Emil's voice was muffled, bent over as he was.

He was tempted to curse the man; for as much as Loki relished his position as ruler of the lower countries, he had learned to despise those who would follow him blindly. Devotion so freely given to just anyone was not worth having.

Still, he had vowed not to use magic on his servants unless absolutely necessary, so he made a sound in his throat instead, and snarled, "Stand and cease this infernal stooping."

"Yes, my lord," Emil intoned deeply, pulling himself up. "Can I bring you anything while you wait their return?"

"No…" Loki took a breath and tried again to rein in his displeasure. "Just keep an eye out for Asrior. And when our newest guest sees fit to leave his rooms, tell him to come here."

"Tony said he'd be down soon."

The unhurried words came from the door to his study, and Loki turned to look at the other mortal he had the misfortune to host.

"I saw him just now. He's a bit anxious to set up the equipment, so he won't be long," Banner said, stepping aside as Emil took his leave. "And if you want to see Asrior when she gets back with Hlin, she'll come in through the greenhouse. She always does."

"Greenhouse?" Loki was distracted by that odd bit of information. "She comes in through the kitchens?"

"No. She comes in through the greenhouse in the keep. It's near t…she says it's closer to her rooms."

He didn't want to admit that he had no idea what greenhouse the mortal was talking about, so he gave him a haughty look and said, "Show me. I shall wait for her there."

Shrugging, Banner turned to walk down the hall, saying, "She'll be surprised to see you. We weren't expecting you yet. I suppose we lost track of time."

_We?_

But Loki suppressed the urge to talk and grunted instead, and followed the other man in silence.

Banner paid little attention to his air of studied indifference, continuing his stream of simple chatter about his week at Okershall as he walked into the old part of the castle.

Asrior had shown him where the castle's library was, and the two of them had raided it one evening. Asrior had asked him to tell her of the Norse myths from Midgard and thought them most amusing. Asrior had spent hours planting seedlings for wildflowers and the mortal had actually helped her. He had given Asrior bags of something called Darjeeling tea that she seemed to like.

By the time they walked into an ancient greenhouse at the back of the old keep, both Loki's temper and his hold on his tongue had loosened to such an extent that he bit out, "However did you manage to tear yourself away from her long enough to sleep?"

Banner's eyes narrowed, and it was obvious that he was holding his own mood in check as he said, "I was doing what we all agreed I would do…get to know her so that her cooperation with Tony and I would be more likely."

"And I'm sure you managed quite nicely." Loki gave him a mocking bow. "The gentle giant. What do you think she'd hate more…your real self, or the fact that you've been misleading her?"

"There was no misleading on my part." The Midgardian's voice was low and firm, and he threw him a warning look, for a glass door leading to the lawn outside was opening.

If had not been for the dark red hair spilling over her shoulders, Loki would not have recognized the woman that stepped into the greenhouse and stopped in her tracks to stare at him.

She almost looked like a child, for she was wearing pants and a tunic stained with dust and grass, with old boots that looked to be too large. Her face was pale and dusty, and her nose was red; and her hair—that vivid red curtain—hung in such disarray that he wondered if she'd taken a fall down a hill.

But she was glaring at him, her face an icy mask, her blue eyes burning with disdain, and Loki almost smirked, because _that _was familiar.

"Wife." He bowed, mocking her this time. And he looked around at the greenhouse, which was clean of weeds and grit, and held long rows of little pots fresh with seedlings near the windows. "I see that you're trying to take over the castle bit by bit."

Her chin lifted and her voice was cool. "You're the one who saw fit to put me in the old keep. And no one has used this place for centuries." And she gave him a sickly sweet smile. "Surely you would not begrudge your wife a hobby to occupy her spare time?"

"I would think you have enough to occupy your time." His eyes narrowed. "Or has Hlin been neglecting his duties?"

Hers narrowed back. "He has been most attentive to them. But even objects paraded before your subjects for their scorn and derision get time off."

He was about to say something else when Banner cleared his throat, muttering, "Should I go…or…"

"Leave," Loki snapped at the same time that Asrior demanded, "Stay."

The Midgardian looked from one to the other, his discomfort obvious.

"There is no reason for you to leave," Asrior was saying, and the cold look in her eyes began to leave as she gazed at the mortal. "I'm sorry, you shouldn't have to listen to us argue like that. Anyway, I'm sure Loki has other things to do that do not involve me."

"As much as I would love for that to be true, I actually _do _have things to discuss with you," Loki said, giving the elf his best imperious look. "And as they concern our king and our marriage, you might want to have this discussion without an audience."

She pressed her lips together, as though she still wanted to argue, but Banner was talking to her.

"Look…Tony's here, and we need to check the equipment he bought along with him. Why don't you find us when you're done here? OK? Tony will want to meet you."

His lips lifted slightly in a calming smile, and Asrior nodded after a moment, her shoulders relaxing slightly. It was obvious the beast had somehow gained her trust.

Loki watched as Banner left, his mouth stretching into a sneer as he turned to her. "You really need to be more discerning. You are entirely too easy to fool."

"He told me about the monster," she said, on the defensive again. "Bruce has given me no reason not to trust him."

"Neither did I," Loki reminded her, and he enjoyed the doubt that flashed in her eyes.

But the look was brief, for she quickly assumed her mutinous glare.

"What do you want?"

"You will show more respect," he ordered, stepping forward so that he could loom over her. He was beyond annoyed at her continued defiance, and his voice grew harder as he spoke. "I am not only your husband, but I am ruler of these lands that are currently your home. Be wary of how you speak to me."

It almost appeared as though a tremor ran through her, but she did not back away from him. Instead, she looked up, her little face resolute and her eyes dark with something beyond fury.

"I give my respect to those who earn it."

The words filled him with such rage that he found his fists clenching, and his voice was like acid as he spit out, "I can make you do what I want, elf! I can force you to kneel…make you lie prostrate before me. I can force you relive your darkest memories if I so desire, and turn your greatest fears into truth…and all the while make your mouth drip with words of undying adoration despite how much your heart howls in protest. You think you are so abused now? Do not doubt the power I can wield if I choose!"

Asrior did not flinch. She did not move, not her eyes or her body, and it was as though her face was an expressionless mask. Even her voice, when she finally spoke, was low and emotionless.

"What did you wish to discuss, my lord?"

She suddenly seemed so detached that he almost wished she had railed against him, and annoyed at himself for his inconstant emotions, he stepped backwards; and his own face assumed a blank mask.

"Thor has decreed that we are to remain married…for now."

When he did not say anything else, she took a breath, and he could tell she was reluctant to ask, "Why?"

"The king has his own reasons." He could tell her about Valtur's attack against Thor, but Loki was not sure if she needed to know about her father's attack and her queen's anger at the accusation against him. Or about his brother's words that she might regain some of her fortune when the marriage was dissolved. "Just know that for now, you are to stay here at Okershall, and we are to continue as husband and wife."

Her lips pursed, and she was looking mulish again; but she sounded almost hesitant when she asked, "And where is…what is Valtur doing now?"

"He is back in Svartalfheim." Loki told himself that it was definitely best if she did not know about the attack against Thor. "I do not think he will not come back to Asgard in the near future…not in any official capacity at least."

Asrior simply nodded, her eyes veiled as she took in the news.

"Very well. Is there anything else, or can I take my leave?" Her voice was wooden.

"Yes. I expect my wife to dress with a bit more dignity. You look like a peasant." His gaze raked her with distaste, and though her back stiffened, her face remained impassive. And he smirked. "But there is nothing else. You are allowed to leave my presence now."

She nodded again and began to walk past him, her face held tightly in that unmoving mask.

But as she reached the door that led into the keep, she turned and bowed low in an unmistakable imitation of Emil, and her ingratiating voice mocked him as she muttered, "Thank you, my liege." And when she stood, the eyes that met his were decidedly rebellious.

Before he could say anything, she turned on her heel and stomped from the greenhouse, her old boots clattering on the stone floor.

Loki gritted his teeth so hard they felt close to breaking, and after a moment followed her from the room, bellowing for a servant to find Emil.

….

An hour later, Asrior emerged from her tower room, her cheeks still flushed with anger.

Her hair was brushed, though, and her face wiped clean, and her simple white dress was unwrinkled; and as she walked from the keep into the grand hall of the new wing, she was muttering darkly under her breath.

And her ire was not directed just at her husband.

She was angrier at herself at her reaction to Loki's barbs than she was at him, and she blamed her momentary collapse near the boulders for making her so pathetically weak.

How else was she to explain her reaction to Loki's scathing words? She'd acted like a child when she first saw him in the greenhouse. She had been unable to summon the strength to fight back when he'd threatened her so viciously. She had been ridiculously aware that her untidy appearance did little to help in the face of the majestic gold armor that encased his body.

He'd looked like a king.

And she had looked like a fool, and she burned with the memory of it.

"My lady…"

She turned at Emil's voice, her stare haughty, for he used a much uglier tone when speaking to her as he did to even the lowest of the castle's servants.

"The visitors from Midgard in down the hall near the breakfast room," he muttered. "You are to go to them now."

Baring her teeth at him in what might considered a smile, she gritted, "Thank you."

As she walked toward the breakfast room, Asrior tried to take charge of her temper. It did her no good to give into it, especially since she needed to think about her next steps. If Loki's word could be trusted—and that was obviously in doubt—she had a bit more time to plan her escape. Especially if it was true that Valtur was not on Asgard anymore. She could find a way to sell the handful of items she'd collected on the black market, and if she could just distract Hlin enough to get some of the silver…

Voices from a room with an open door interrupted her train of thought, and she moved toward it when she recognized Bruce's calm tones.

"…wouldn't say that at all. You survived the trip here with Loki. It can't be that bad."

"Yeah, but he's still… What was it you called it? His mind's like a…"

She recognized the voice of the Midgardian that looked like a king.

"…a bag of cats," Bruce finished the other man's sentence. "Loki's mind is like a bag of cats."

"Well, I think he's traded the bag for a…a trunk full of them."

Bruce was almost laughing. "A trunk full of cats?"

And as she walked into the room, she saw the two men bending over a table, their backs to the door. And the Midgardian…who must be the Tony she was told of, said, "A very large trunk that's much bigger than a bag…and it's full of cats."

Curious, Asrior asked, "What are cats?"

They both turned to look, Bruce's face welcoming. The other man's face was closed, but he was looking at her so closely that she thought he might read her mind.

"They're…" Bruce thought for a moment, his hands moving as he searched for words. "They're animals and they're kind of difficult to control."

"Like Bilge Snipe?" she cocked her head to the side, trying to imagine a large trunk full of them, but Bilge Snipe would not fit in so small a space.

"Very small Bilge Snipe, I suppose," he said, for she had shown him a tapestry in the library depicting a hunt of the great horned beast. And his hand moved to his chin, and he began to rub it. "Describing them isn't enough. You'd have to see them to understand."

She moved further into the room then, and when she noticed that the other man was still studying her, she raised an eyebrow.

"You are the one called Tony Stark?" she asked, trying to sound as commanding as Loki, for unlike Bruce, this Midgardian intimidated her.

"Yes, I'm Tony Stark." He did not extend his hand in greeting the way Bruce had done when they first met, and he was not friendly looking, either. "You're Loki's wife?"

Inclining her head regally, she said, "I am. I am Asrior, the mistress here. But I suspect that is not why you wish to speak to me."

"You're an elf," he stated, his voice still chilly. "An elf who likes to steal."

He was leaning on the table, supported by a hand that wore the gold and diamond ring she had once stolen; and her eyes moved along his arm and then to the next, noticing that he wore the bronze-colored bracelets as well.

"I don't like people who steal from me," he was saying. Bruce was giving her a kind look, but she could tell that he was uncomfortable, and his friend continued, "Why'd you do it?"

"Because I needed your things more than you did at the time," she said, her calm expression belying her sudden nerves. She did not like to be called a thief, even if it were the truth. She could not fully explain why she stole, and she knew that without that knowledge, her actions could only be seen in a very poor light.

"Yeah." He smirked, but it turned quickly into a frown. "I'll be the judge of that."

"Is that why you wanted to talk to me? To ask why I took your things?"

Bruce was shaking his head at Stark, saying, "No. No, that's not why we want to talk to you. Why don't you come and sit down…"

But she would not allow him to placate her.

"I will not move until I know why I am here." She crossed her arms, and her chin jutted out at a stubborn angle.

"Asrior…please," Bruce said, pulling one of the table's chairs out. "This might take a while."

But she was staring at Stark, refusing to move. "Why? You will tell me now."

Bruce threw the other man a look and moved toward her. "I'll be blunt about it, then. Tony's been working on weapons that would…well, that work specifically against dark elves. He's trying to use their weakness for ion against them…design a weapon that could not be turned on Asgardians…"

Her back stiffened in surprise. "Thor allows this? Such a weapon could be used against anyone, even peaceful elves. They are some, you know. I have heard that the queen…"

Stark's hand was over his eyes, and he mumbled something that sounded like, "I can't say I wasn't warned," and Bruce sounded sheepish when he said, "Actually…these weapons were Thor's idea. We're building them for him to use…at his request."

She put fisted hands on her hips and challenged, "Why should I trust that he will use them wisely? I have little reason to trust Asgardians."

"Why?" Stark was talking now, and the look he gave her was all too familiar. "Because they fought a war with your people? A war started by dark elves, might I remind you."

"Not at all," Asrior assured him, and she sniffed. "I simply do not trust their wisdom, for I am married to Loki. I find him singularly _stupid_."

Bruce bit back a grin at the look on the other man's face, for Stark's look of distrust was rapidly changing.

"And now you've gone and made me want to like you. I might even forgive your stealing my things." He said it as though his change of heart were a great honor.

But Asrior looked at Bruce. "So these weapons… tell me more."

"Right," he nodded. "Thor wants to use them against those elves that attack here. I know…I know you've been riding around with Hlin to assess all the damage. He doesn't mean to attack anyone innocent. You have to believe me."

She did believe him; and she wanted to help if it meant working against Valtur. But with an instinct born of years of abuse, she knew she could use the situation to her advantage.

"So what do you want from me?"

"Your help." Stark spoke now, and he was moving to the table, gesturing toward the pile of paper and metal boxes on it as though they meant something. "You're part dark elf, and we were hoping that studying your physical makeup might help us perfect the weapon."

"My…physical makeup?"

She said the words slowly, trying to understand exactly what they meant.

"We just want to study your DNA," Bruce said, and his hands moved as he again looked for words to explain. "We can take a strand your hair…or blood…or your spit…and it will tell us how you were made…"

"I was made when my father seduced my mother," Asrior said, looking at Bruce with great puzzlement. "I do not understand. Have you not been educated on sexual reproduction? I thought you studied these things in your realm. Do you need a book? There are probably some in the library." And when Stark put a fist to his mouth as though he was choking on a piece of food, she turned to him, worried. "Do I need to call a servant?"

"No…" Stark gasped. "I'm fine."

His face was still red, though, and she gave him an unsure look before turning back to Bruce with questioning eyes.

"I…ah… fully understand how children are made," he assured her, and then he pushed a hand through the thick curls that fell over his forehead. "What I meant by that is…well, you…all of you…all of us…we're all made up of tiny cells that work together to form things like skin and hair and bone. And DNA is like…well, it's a map to these cells. It helps determine how tall we are and what color our eyes are. All of that. And each of us is different. And DNA can tell me how you are different than I am. Not just as an individual, but as a dark elf compared to me as a mortal."

"A map?" She drew the words out, looking from Bruce to Stark, who seemed to have gotten over his fit.

"A map," Bruce said. "A map that can help us understand how to use our weapons against dark elves…the kind that do so much harm here."

She stared at them for a moment, before nodding.

"Very well. I shall help you." And Bruce gave her look of surprise at the ease of her capitulation; but his look morphed again when she added, "For a price."

"Excuse me?" Stark was looking at her as though he hadn't heard correctly. "Did you say…"

"I said that I would help for a price." Asrior's hands were folded together and her face was calm. "If you want my help, you will pay me for it."

"With what?" Stark moved forward to take Bruce's place next to her, as though when it came to financial matters, he was in control. "What kind of payment are you talking about?"

"Whatever you can give. You look to be a wealthy man," Asrior said, as though it were a simple matter.

"I don't have much cash on me." Stark's eyes had narrowed. "Why do you want money?"

"So that I can support myself when I leave here," she said, unruffled. "I do not intent to stay married, nor does Loki intend to stay married to me. And when he divorces me, I have no intention of going back to my father. That's why I took your things in the first place…so that I could get away from him."

"Why?" Stark's face was still still…calculating. Measuring her response.

She tried to say, _Because my father will eventually kill me if I stay with him_, but the curse held her lips shut.

So she lifted a shoulder and managed, "I have my reasons."

Stark's hand was on his chin, and he was weighting her offer in his mind. And after several long moments, he shrugged, "Fine. How much do you want?"

She did not have to think, immediately naming the price that his gold ring had brought on the black market.

"Translate that into an Earth denomination."

Asrior sighed and told him how many gold coins she had gotten before. "That is what your ring is worth here."

"This?" Stark looked down at it, and then a smile crossed his face, and he took it off. "Can I just give you the ring directly?"

Bruce gave him a concerned look, but Stark shrugged again and held it toward her; and when Asrior put her palm out, he dropped it onto it.

"Very well," she said, pocketing the ring once again. "We have a bargain."

This time, the Midgardian put out his hand to shake hers, much as Bruce had done when they first met. And he grinned, saying, " Louie…I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

* * *

And to answer a few comments from the last chapter:

**London Calling**- (I love your name, btw, because it makes me feel that way) Thank you fir the nice words...I especially enjoyed her vomiting on Hlin...she didn't mean to do it, but it was good for her because, as she told him, she keeps her promises ;) .

**SissyPerigrin**-YES, she has a friend! And soon she'll have more. Thanks for commenting.

**Guest 1**-I'm so glad you liked the last update, even if it was sansLoki. I think that was the last one with so little of him, but see...I just love Loki. LOVE him. And I think he deserves a companion equal to him...so I felt like I really needed to build out his O/C. And it makes me very glad to read your comments about her and the last part. Thank you.

**CandyFlaps**-Loki enjoys power, thus his telling Hlin to make sure she ate everything after sending her supper back untouched (he's not thrilled with waste either, maybe, lol). Yes, she can grow her own peaches, and I love your idea for her crest. Thanks for commenting!

**Shelly**-Unfortunately, you'll have to wait to hear the full details of what happened that day she has nightmares about. The good thing is, it's revelation a very specific plot point that hopefully pays dividends and I. Must. Not. Say. More. OH, and she'll eventually hear about the Hulk smashing on Midgard. Do you think Tony can keep his mouth shut about that? ;)

**Guest 2**-You guessed right on all counts. Loki loathes Banner (and Stark) and thus will loathe that Asrior likes them. He's not thrilled with her clothes and it's not a huge spoiler to say that she'll be stubborn about them, making him less thrilled. I hoped you liked the appearance of Tony in this part, and thanks for the review!

**Zippythewondersquirrel**-I'm glad you liked it and hope the update was quick enough! I've got a bit of time off coming up, so hopefully can knock a few chapters off soon. The next part gets interesting at times.

**CeliaSingsSongs**-thanks for the review, and I did update soon! LOL I really wanted to update sooner, but that time thing just refused to work with me sometimes. As I mentioned above, I have time off next week, so here's hoping that means quicker writing.


	10. Chapter 9-lonely as the secrets you keep

A/N-The always fervent thanks to readers and reviewers and followers go here. I mean it sincerely! Thanks for enjoying this, because it's so awesome to hear back from you.

I won't go on...more fun and games with Loki and Tony' and Bruce and the gang.

I'll step away for a few moments and then add comments to the bottom.

Thanks for reading everyone, and I sincerely hope you enjoy this update!

* * *

**Chapter 9-As lonely as the secrets you keep**

"What's that?"

Asrior was eyeing the stick Bruce was holding with distrust; it was short and white, the end covered in a kind of fuzz and he had put bright blue gloves on before picking it up.

"I'm going to collect your DNA with this," he said mildly.

"But how?" she asked, trying not show how nervous she was. "You mentioned blood, and I do not think that is sharp enough."

"I'm not going to collect blood. I'm going to rub the tip of this..." Bruce pointed to the fuzz on the stick, "…inside your cheek for a few seconds."

"Oh." She tried to look calm and collected.

"It won't hurt at all," he was saying, moving closer to her. "Just…open your mouth."

She was doing as he asked when Hlin walked into the room, a fact which annoyed her excessively. It somehow put her at a disadvantage, having the boy see her just as Bruce bent to put the stick in her mouth and rubbed in on the inside of her cheek.

But Hlin wasn't looking at her. He had moved to the other side of the table from where she sat, and his eyes were on Stark.

Bruce was carefully placing the stick into a clear tube, and after he clicked something over the top, he pulled the stick out in such a way that the now wet fuzz stayed inside.

"Just one more…" he was saying, then, moving toward her with another stick "Open up."

Again, he rubbed the inside of her cheek.

"Is that all you need?" she asked, watching as he closed another tube and pulled the stick out; and when he smiled and nodded, she said, "It seems rather too little to make a map of me."

"You'd be amazed what that 'little' will tell me about you." Stark spoke from his spot on the other side of the table; he was bent over as he mounted a succession of flat pieces of glass to a workbench, and he turned his head briefly to look at her.

"You?" she asked, looking from him to Bruce. "I thought you were the scientist and he built weapons."

Bruce answered, explaining, "Tony's builds rather complicated machinery, and not just weapons. He knows…well, there are many different areas of science, including what he knows. I've studied biology, which is the science of living things, and chemistry, the study of matter—like the properties of metal and the like. But my main focus is nuclear physics… atomic nuclei, which are the center of the…the smallest piece of all the little pieces that make things."

Asrior must have looked as confused as she felt, for he gave her a friendly look and said, "I'll get a book for you that will help you understand." She smiled her thanks and moved to where Stark was still working, and Bruce continued, "Tony—beyond being an expert in engineering sciences—is, well…"

"I'm pretty much an expert on a lot of things," Stark completed. He was putting a white cord into a metal box on the floor, and he spoke with the confidence of a monarch. "And this past week, I've been doing a bit of homework on genetics."

Hlin, who had not spoken at all, moved closer to the Midgardian as well; he was staring at the metal and glass instruments with poorly-concealed fascination.

"What is…genetics?" Asrior asked, and then gasped in surprise, for Stark flipped a toggle on the large box on the floor, and the glass and metal on the table seemed to come to life—some things glowed, and pictures flashed on the glass, and the shimmering image of what looked like a platform hovered in the air above the table.

And then a disembodied voice said, "Good evening, sir. The connections seem to be working."

"What kind of magic is this?" Hlin spoke for the first time, staring at Stark.

He waved his had in front of the floating shape, making it disappear. "It's just Jarvis." And he glanced at the boy and seemed to realize how strange it all appeared to him. "It's a computer…a machine. Jarvis is a piece of artificial intelligence I programmed into the machine to communicate with it by speaking. He helps me with my research."

Hlin looked unsure, and the disembodied voice said, "A very concise explanation, sir."

"I try to please," Stark muttered, then said, "So it looks like everything's booted up, but I want you to run diagnostics to make sure the individual components are working correctly."

"Certainly. The diagnostics will take approximately thirty minutes to complete."

Banner was taking books from a trunk and stacking them on the larger table, and he glanced over at the other Midgardian. "Do you want to look over the findings on the iron samples again?"

"No…" Stark was rubbing his chin. "I'd like to get more DNA. We should have some from an Asgardian to compare to hers, and he…" He paused, giving Hlin a considering look.

Catching on quickly, Asrior shook her head, explaining, "Hlin is not of Asgard."

"He's not?" Stark looked surprised.

"I am Jotun," Hlin explained proudly. "A frost giant, like Loki."

The two Midgardians exchanged looks, and Stark's casual tone was at odds with the sudden stiffness of his shoulders as he repeated, "Like…Loki."

Hlin nodded. "When I was born, I was left to die by my parents, for I am too small for a Jotun. That is considered a weakness…"

"And a death sentence?" Bruce injected, his voice like flint. "Kinda funny how Loki likes to look down on us mortals given such backwards thinking."

"It is their way, not ours. I do not excuse it," the boys explained without emotion. "I do not even consider myself of the Jotun race, and while I cannot speak for Loki, I would image he thinks the same. Had Loki not found me and taken me to Asgard, I would not have had a life to compare to this one. I was worthless there, so I claim no part of them."

Bruce glanced at Stark again before asking, "And Loki raised you? As his…own?"

As though suddenly understanding why the two men were sharing looks, Hlin stood even taller and said, "I am not his son, if that is what you are thinking. My father was a general on Jotunheim, though if Loki were my parent, I would be proud. But I was reared by one of the Allfather's advisors, a widower with no children and the man I consider my real father. He was almost as ancient as the Odin, and when he died, Loki bought me here to begin my formal education."

Stark raised an eyebrow, as though doubtful, but shrugged after a moment. "Very well. I'd still like a sample from an Asgardian." And he glanced at Bruce. "Any ideas?"

But he looked at Asrior. "I don't know…"

"I suppose any of the servants," she muttered, highly uncomfortable, for there were few in the castle who would be willing to help if she approached them. "Perhaps Hlin has ideas."

The boy looked confused, and looked at the men, deliberately avoiding Asrior's gaze. "I'm not sure what you want."

Seeing his expression, Bruce offered a quick explanation of what they wanted was and why.

"I believe that Saldis's family has served Asagrdian lords for millenniums," Hlin said after considering Bruce's words. "Her grandparents served in the royal palace itself. Her connection to this realm is without question."

"Well, then…let's not waste time." Stark said, rubbing his hands together. "Shall we go and find her? Bruce? Got the kit?"

And as Bruce reached into a trunk and pulled out a clear pouch, Hlin began scratching the back of his neck and muttered, "I suppose you can follow me."

He turned and walked toward the door, walking past Asrior without looking at her; Stark followed him, though he stopped briefly and asked, "You coming with us, Arwen?"

She knit her brow, saying, "My name is Asrior."

"You're still an elf." He shook his head, moving toward where Hlin waited.

And then Bruce was beside her, saying, "Don't mind Tony. He just likes to call people names from different… Maybe I'll just bring that book for you, too, and you'll understand." She gave him a half-smile, looking dubious, and he asked, "Are you going to tag along with us?"

Glancing at the others, she shook her head. "No, you go on. I've got a few things I'd like to do before supper." She frowned at the thought of sitting to eat at a table occupied by Loki, though the prospect of Stark being there was something almost pleasing, for she knew that he annoyed her husband greatly.

"Then we'll see you later tonight." Bruce smiled and put a hand on her shoulder as he walked past her. Asrior's nerves abated slightly, for his touch was as comforting as his presence.

She followed them as they left the room, Asrior moving to the old keep while the men followed Hlin toward the kitchens. Once she was in her little work room, she sat at her work table and began to go over the papers she'd been given, pushing her sleeves up and taking little care with her skirt as she tried to get comfortable.

First was the list of jewelry Loki had recovered from the blacksmith in Priekk; there were still some pieces she had not put with names, for she had stolen from so many that it was hard to remember whose pockets she'd picked. And the Asgardians all looked the same—they wore the same rich clothing, and they all gossiped, and looked down their noses at her when she slid past them in the halls…

There was a ring, a small gold one that one of the goddesses kept leaving in the grand washroom near the banquet hall. It was so insignificant to her that she'd left it sitting on a windowsill next to the huge marble sink more than once. Each time the woman had eventually come back into the washroom in search of it, laughing at her forgetfulness over 'that stupid thing that Friftjor gave me'. Asrior had watched the event play out five times before she the ring ended up in her pocket.

The woman had dark hair and liked to wear red gowns, and someone had called her…what? It started with an E… Or maybe it was a J…

And it was easy to put her head down on the table next to the list, for Asrior had slept little since the nightmares began. This time, they did not interrupt her sleep. Indeed, it was almost dreamless, until she began to hear the sound of Hlin's voice calling her name.

She turned to him in her dream and crossed her arms and told him to go away and leave her alone.

But he was touching her, yelling back that she needed to wake up.

Asrior's eyes flew open finally, and she realized that she'd fallen asleep at her workbench. Her hair was falling down over one shoulder so that one of her ears was exposed, and she sat up quickly and pushed the hair back into place. And then she stood from the stool she'd sat on, smoothing out her dress and pulling the sleeves of her dress back down.

Hlin was watching her with guarded eyes, and she lifted her chin. She did not want him to know that his watching her sleep made her feel as exposed as her ear had been.

"What do you need?" she asked, thankful that her voice sounded calmer than her nerves.

"I was sent to bring you to supper," he said quietly.

She nodded and tried to look stately as she began to walk to the door, which was difficult because her weak leg had decided to start shaking. But she did not let the discomfort show on her face, and if her gait was slightly unsteady, the look she gave Hlin as she passed him was calm and aloof.

"Thank you," she said, her voice almost frosty.

Hlin didn't say anything, choosing to follow her in silence as they moved toward the dining room, but she could feel his stare boring into her back as they walked.

….

The weapons still did not work.

Of course, the wretched mortal Tony Stark had been at Okershall for only a few days; but seeing as he loved nothing more than bragging of his own mental prowess, he should have solved any number of problems as far as Loki was concerned.

So he scowled. "That is the third malfunction in a row. Is this really how you made your fortune on Midgard? It is no wonder you are such easy targets for the other realms."

"Yeah, well, for so-called easy targets, we managed to kick your ass," Stark pointed out, any pretense of civility abandoned. "And if you're unhappy with my help—which I offer only because of Thor, by the way—I'm more than happy to let you take care of things alone."

Gritting his teeth, for he was loath to admit he needed assistance, Loki muttered, "Perhaps it is the early hour that makes you so careless that you wear on my nerves. Forgive my impatience."

Stark turned back to the metal cart he had positioned his laptop on, grumbling, "You're the one who insisted we do this at the asscrack of dawn, Caligula."

They were outside of the castle, in a sloping field that led to the forest testing the weapons systems Stark had recalibrated—weapons that still refused to trigger properly. The sun had barely risen, a fact that the mortal kept pointing out with annoying regularity; and it was apparent that, like so many of his inferior race, Stark required excess amounts of sleep.

"Yes, well, I have to journey to Gaula to meet with regional governors this morning. I thought it would be nice to have a sense of your progress before talking to them." And he scowled again. "There was another attack two nights ago…just over the border in Hindi. Several people were killed, including an entire family. I must find a way to stop these attacks soon."

Stark smirked. "What? Afraid your people own will kick your ass too if you can't protect them?"

"For your information, _human_, I am concerned with saving lives…"

Bruce, who was standing to the side, cut through Loki's heated words with, "Hlin's coming down…it looks like he has more coffee."

Stark muttered, "Thank God." And he glanced at Loki. "Not you, though."

Loki turned with a snarl, cursing under his breath as his ward approached with a metal contraption the Midgardians used to transport hot drinks. And as he heard Hlin saying something about hoping he'd made it correctly, his attention was drawn to the drive leading up to the castle.

A small figure was walking along it—a figure whose bright red hair was unmistakable.

Narrowing his eyes, Loki turned to the others, saying, "I hope you have things working by the time I return from Gaula. Hlin…when our visitors are finished here, escort them back and make sure they are given whatever they require. I'm…heading back to the castle."

Hlin had turned to the drive, his eyes on Asrior as well, though his expression was unreadable. He nodded, saying, "Yes, sir."

"My horse will be waiting?"

"Yes. I spoke to the grooms before coming down here." A curious expression crossed the boy's face, as though he wanted to say something, but he turned to look at Loki instead. "I hope the meeting goes well, my lord."

Banner said something that drew Hlin's attention back to them, and Loki began walking toward the road, intent on intercepting his wife before she made it back to the castle.

Her movements were slow, for she was carrying a bag across her shoulders that seemed heavy; and he moved swiftly, wanting to have the advantage. But she eventually noticed him—he could tell, not only because she tried to quicken her own steps, but because her mouth turned down and her jaw was set in a way that bespoke of mutiny.

She did not try to avoid him, though, slowing and then stopping at the spot where he caught up with her.

Loki did not bother with pleasantries.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked, his eyes raking over her. Asrior's hair was falling over her shoulders again in an untidy mess, and she was wearing the same old pants and tunic. "Trying to escape?"

"No. I'm very aware that it is impossible for me to leave Okershall's lands unless I am escorted by very specific people. I learned that near the forest already." He was standing to that she had to tip her head to look up at him, and the scowl on her face told him that she did not enjoy the disadvantage.

"Then what are you doing wandering around now? I have very recently been assured that only the insane are willingly out of their beds at this time of morning."

Her eyes slid to where the Midgardians were, and something close to humor touched her mouth as she watched Stark take great gulps from a mug. But when she looked back at him, she was frowning again.

"I was simply taking a walk," she challenged. "Is that forbidden as well?"

He looked pointedly at the sack she was trying to hold up and scoffed. "With that?"

Asrior tried to shrug despite the weight of the bag, and she sounded offhand as she said, "I collected plants while I walked. I'm trying to start seedlings. I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd see what I could find growing around here."

For the first time, he noticed that she was paler than normal, and her eyes looked dark with fatigue. He remembered his own restless dreams and inability to find respite from them, and he suddenly wondered if she were similarly affected by the memory of their joining.

The thought made him step backward, for such suppositions were as unwelcome as they were enticing.

So he scowled and demanded, "Show me what is in the bag. I will not have you stealing again."

For a moment, he thought she would refuse, but she stooped to place it on the ground; and kneeling, she opened the sack with exaggerated care, holding it open so that he could see the pots of dirt and green cuttings and heavy metal tools inside.

"See? Nothing of value. I was telling the truth." She stood as she spoke, her eyes flashing at him.

But Loki was staring at the dirt streaked on her tunic and the grass stains on her pants with distaste. "I believe I have already ordered you not to dress so improperly."

Her brow shot up, and she put a hand on a hip, looking indignant. "Improper? Might I remind you that I was at Asgard's court? I'm well aware of what is considered _proper _by your kind, and if you consider it unsuitable to adequately cover one's breasts while digging in the dirt, then that is your problem, not mine."

He could feel his fact getting red at her insolence, and he hissed, "That is not what I mean, and you know it, elf. You are my wife for now and mistress of these lands, and you will not make me look the fool by dressing like a farmhand. You will cease wearing these rags immediately, as well as that sack you wore last night."

"These rags and that sack, as you call them, are all I own," she said, her teeth clenched so tightly he was amazed that she managed to speak.

"Do not lie to me," he warned. "You were not married in tatters."

"No, I was not," she admitted, her voice rising. "I was married in clothes meant to honor your position as prince of Asgard. But it was all a lie…a trick, and I refuse to dishonor myself by wearing them."

"Are you really so stubborn as to let those go unused over petty…" he began, but Asrior's eyes narrowed as she said, "I burned them. All of the clothes I bought for our marriage."

"You…" he paused as her words sank in, and his eyes grew even frostier. "You did what?"

"You heard me." And she repeated the words slowly, as though he was a child. "I…burned…them."

It was his turn to speak through gritted teeth.

"Then I will buy more clothes for you when I am in Gaula. And you will wear what I bring back for you, and you will do so without quarrel or dramatics, and if you are difficult about it, you will pay a price. Do not push this matter."

She just glared at him, her body shimmering with rage, finally biting out, "It that all, _husband_?"

He was about to say something else when movement at the point where the forest met up with the drive caught his eye, and Loki watched as a man on a grey horse exited from the woods.

Asrior turned to follow his gaze, and judging by the step she took back at the sight of him, she had already been told of the extent of Hogun's hatred for her kind.

He bent so that his mouth was near the back of her head, and with his voice velvet soft and full of steel, Loki said, "My barring you from the woods isn't simply to keep you at Okershall. Hogun lives within the forest, and it would do you little good to get to near to him, elf. Not if you value your life."

She did not turn when she spoke, her gaze focused on the warrior, who had stopped his horse at the foot of the drive. Her voice was thin as she asked, "So you seek to protect me? I will admit I am so surprised that I do not believe it."

"Oh, it is not your protection that so concerns me. I do not want to deal with Thor if I allow Hogun to vent his rage and you end up dead."

Loki stood then and noticed that Hlin was walking toward where Hogun waited; at the same time, a blast thundered from where the Midgardians tested their weapons, making Asrior jump back into him. He put a hand out to steady her, his fingers digging into her shoulder, and she wrenched away from almost as soon as she registered the contact.

She turned to glare up at him, as though she were about to shout, but he stopped her with a growl of his own, saying, "Go back to the castle _now_." And when she stepped backward, looking as though she were tempted to continue their arguing, he snapped, "And the next time I see you, you will be wearing something suitable…or I will dress you myself if I have to."

The words were enough to have her grabbing her bag and scurrying away, though the dark look she flashed at him lingered long after she left.

….

Asrior stayed up late in her workroom that night, given a reprieve from supper, for Loki was not expected back from the town of Gaula until the next day. She'd asked for a tray of food to eat in private, and Hlin had agreed, not trying to talk her into eating with him and the mortals.

The next morning, she rose early once more, this time going back to her workroom to go back over the records. It looked as though Hlin, not knowing exactly what to give her, had made copies of the entire financial journal Emil kept.

At first, she had not paid attention to anything outside of her own monies Loki had assumed. Self-preservation eventually drove her to examine the full record, however, for if she were to find a way to put money back into her name, she needed to understand how the accounts at Okershall worked.

And it did not take her long to realize that something was not right with the books.

Her fingers traced down a line of figures showing the income brought in by the crops grown on Okershall's lands, as well as the rents paid by some of the farmer's. She counted to herself, adding the numbers as she went and writing the figure down. Then she flipped through other pages, finding the contracts drawn up for the tenant farmers, and double checking what their rents were supposed to be according to their leases.

The numbers did not add up.

Resting her chin on a fist, she stared at her writing, frowning. She did not trust Emil—or anyone at the castle—but she was not sure if he was actually stealing. Perhaps the rents had been adjusted at some point and the amended contracts had not made it into the journals…

But one of the contracts had been signed just a few months before.

Her frown deepened, and she was concentrating so hard on the paper in front of her that she did not hear when someone entered her room.

"There you are. I went to the greenhouse…"

She jumped at the sound of Bruce's voice, turning so quickly that she knocked the papers to the ground.

"Oh…" And she pushed from her stool, a hand on her chest as though to stop her pounding heart. "You startled me."

"I can see that." Bruce's face was calm as always, and when she fell to her knees to gather up the papers, he bent along with her to help. And he gave her a wry grin. "Sorry. You were in deep, whatever it was you were reading."

"Actually, I was just thinking," she explained, holding the papers in a messy pile and standing. "You don't need to apologize."

He handed her the papers he'd gathered as he stood, and lifted a shoulder. "Still…"

And as she put everything back on the bench, she gave him a curious look, saying, "Aren't you usually with Tony in the mornings? Or do you need me again?"

"No, not really," Bruce said, shaking his head. "Hlin's taking me to a group of hills near here where there's supposed to be iron deposits. I was wondering if you'd like to ride with us."

She tilted her head. "Did Hlin say I should come?"

"No. I think he's aggravated that I asked him to take me. But I'll be leaving tomorrow, so I thought it would be nice to ride with you."

"Leaving?" Asrior was surprised at the dip in her stomach at the words. "But Tony just arrived."

"And he's still having problems with the triggering," Bruce explained. "I want to study the chemical properties of the iron found here compared to what we have on Earth. See, Tony based his initial design on our metals. I think there are significant differences in what you call iron and what we do…and I need to gather samples."

"So…you're going to travel around Asgard?" she asked.

"Mmmm…" he nodded his head. "And then go back home for a while." When he saw her look, he added, "Oh, we'll be back in a few weeks, but we have business at home. Especially Tony."

"What kind of business?" she asked, curious, for they had never really spoken about the Stark's life on their realm.

"I tend to stay out of the public eye, you might say." And Bruce looked almost embarrassed as he said it. "I don't like…attention. I've been using a lab Tony set up in one of his buildings, and I kind of stay here most days, unless Tony makes me go with him for shawarma..."

"Shawarma?"

He grinned at her careful pronunciation of the word. "It's a kind of food. Tony loves it. If you're ever on Midgard, I'll take you to get some." A corner of her mouth lifted at that, and he continued, "See, Tony does the public stuff and makes it easy for me to stay inside and work. Where we come from, he's…important."

"The first time I saw him, I thought he was a king," Asrior told him.

"Well, he's pretty close to it on Earth. He's very well known. But don't ever, ever, _ever _tell him what you thought. He's bad enough as it is."

"Then I shall keep it a secret," she promised, and then, trying to look pleasant despite her melancholy at his leaving, "So you're collecting iron before you leave?"

"Yes. That's the plan."

A thought occurred to her, and she bit her lip for a moment before asking, "Bruce? Can you… Can you do me a favor?"

Something in her voice must have been different, for he pulled the stool she had been sitting on toward him and used it himself, saying, "Look…if there's anything you want to say or ask or tell me, don't be afraid. I'm your friend, Asrior. You don't need to keep things from me. Secrets…they just make you lonely. Trust me."

She smiled at that, a small one, but real nonetheless, and with a hesitant voice, explained, "I don't know where I come from."

Bruce looked surprised. "Excuse me? I thought your father seduced your mom…"

"I mean… I was born on Asgard. I lived here until I was six or seven…but I do not know _where_," she said, twisting her hands together. "My mother hid us in a place of iron, and I remember some things about the area, but not its name."

"And you're telling me this because…"

"I'd like to know where it was." He lifted a brow, but stayed silent as she continued, "My mother… I know she was a valued member of Odin's court before I was born. Her name was Birgitta, and she looked much like me. And I don't think anyone in the village we lived near knew who she was, but I'd like to know where we lived." She paused, and her voice was a whisper. "I'd like to know how she died."

Bruce was still, and the look on his face was such that she had not seen since Kagoq lived with her.

"You don't know how she died?"

"She left me with a neighbor, as she did at times when she had to travel away from our land. She died on her way back home…I know she died, because I saw her. I remember sitting next to her body. She was in a merchant's home and they took me there to say goodbye before sending me to my father."

"Who? Who took you there?" His eyes narrowed.

"Men. Asgardians." She frowned. "But they are not important. We were in hills…long green hills with pine forests and the dirt was red. There was a mine, just one large one in the nearby mountains. And there was one town near us, a very large one on a river, and many of the homes had roofs covered in red clay tiles. That is what I remember."

"And you want…you want me to find this place? To find out what happened to your mother?"

She bit her lip to keep it from shaking. "I have looked at the maps to try to find it, but here is more than one place with pine forests and mines. If you see a place that looks like that when are traveling, if you could ask about a redheaded goddess who was killed…. Knowing about my mother would be… it would be…"

"I understand," Bruce said, and he took one of her hands in his. "I can't make any promises. But I'll see what I can do."

She nodded, looking at the hand that held hers. It was odd, how nice it felt. It was very similar to her mother's touch—and not at all like Loki's, whose hand seemed to burn through her tunic when he'd placed it on her shoulder the day before.

"Thank you," she whispered, trying to sound heartened "I know it is almost impossible, but I do not know who else to ask."

When she slid her hand from his, he looked as though he were about to say something; but he paused and stood, instead saying, "So…do you want to come with us today?"

The decision was not a difficult one. If one of the few friendly faces at Okershall was about to leave, Asrior was determined to spend as much time with him as possible before he was gone.

"Of course." And she smiled again. "I'll be happy to."

….

The ride with Bruce was pleasant, for he spend much of the time telling stories of Midgard. Even Hlin was so taken with the tales that he spent little time disparaging Asrior during the journey.

Only once, when they passed a burnt out cottage, did she feel his eyes on her; she'd been staring at the ruins, wondering how many people had been hurt or killed during the attack. When the hairs on her arms prickled, she turned to see him staring at her, and when he noticed her gaze, Hlin's turned back to the ponies without speaking.

When they returned to the palace, Asrior went up to her rooms with the knowledge that Bruce would be leaving the next morning. She would miss him; she would miss Tony Stark as well, for though he were a prickly sort of mortal, he was amusing—and a welcome thorn in Loki's side.

She sat in her bath's tub for a long time as she washed the day's dust from her, wondering how she would get through the weeks when their visitors were away; and then the ever-present tiredness took over, and as she lay in the water, the warmth of it had her closing her eyes.

This time, the nightmare began again. She was on the horse, and then falling, but before it could cover her, a woman's voice was calling her name. For a moment she thought it was Birgitta, for she'd wished for her so desperately, and as she looked around and called out for her mother, someone touched her and woke her from the dream.

Asrior sat up so quickly that water splashed all over the person next to the tub and onto the floor; and curling her legs into her body and wrapping her arms around them, she jerked sideways with a small scream.

Saldis was standing next to the tub, her skirts soaked, and she was looking at the floor as she said, "I did not mean to scare you. You were asleep…"

Her hair was soaking wet and plastered to her body, but Asrior quickly reached out of the tub and grabbed a towel sitting nearby. And wrapping it around her in the water, she snapped, "I am aware. What do you want?"

The servant was reaching for another towel, and she dropped it onto the floor to soak up the water spilled there. "I… I have your new clothes. Master Loki is back from his journey, and he sent them up for you."

Asrior stood, her leg shaking, and without looking at her, Saldis reached for another towel and held it out. She stepped out of the tub and took it, wrapping is around her as she let the wet one fall onto the floor.

"Thank you," she said, doing her best to sound dismissive. "You may leave."

Saldis stepped toward the door, but said, "Do you require assistance getting dressed?" She paused and added, "I am not to come downstairs unless you are with me and wearing new clothes. And I have been told…despite what the other servants say, that you do not know magic and cannot curse me."

For a moment, Asrior was tempted to order the woman to go downstairs and tell her husband something rude; but she held back, for she did not want to tempt Loki into locking her in the tower. She had one more night with her friends, and was able to roam the castle as she wished. A fight over the clothing was not worth having her freedom taken away.

But she wanted the housekeeper out.

So she said, "I can dress myself. You wait outside on the landing, and when I am done, I will meet you out there."

The other woman nodded her head, and said, "Yes, mistress." And she glanced at her briefly, her eyes a mixture of dislike and hesitation and dismay.

When she stood there without moving, Asrior bit, "Go, then," and she watched as the servant turned and quickly left the room, knowing by her reaction that she had seen some of the scars on her back.

She began to dry her hair with the towel, her rough movements born of frustration. It was almost a relief that someone knew, but at the same time it was utterly useless; of all the people she needed to see the proof of her abuse, a powerless servant was not one of them. There was nothing that Saldis would be able to do, for she would not be able to tell anyone else who had not seen unless they too knew of the scars. She could not find Kagoq for her, nor did she have the power to grant her a divorce; and the only person in Okershall she could tell about the scars was Asrior herself, and she could hardly bear to be in her presence.

When she'd pulled her half-dried hair back with a ribbon, she moved to the bed, looking at the several dresses laid out on it. To her relief, they were nothing like the gowns the Asgardians wore at court; they were more like the ones she'd had made in Priekk, simple but with fine material, and sorting through the lot, Asrior decided that she would keep them, for she could add some to the ones she had saved to sell on the black market.

Selecting a silk gown of deep blue, she quickly stepped into it and adjusted the ties at the waist. And then smoothing her hair one again, she walked to her door and opened it.

"See," she said, stepping onto the landing. "I am dressed as my husband ordered."

Saldis looked at her and inclined her head, and then turned to walk down the stairs. She did not say anything the entire way down, nor did she look at Asrior as they walked from the keep into the new wing where the dining room sat. It was only when they neared the dining room that she murmured, "I will have supper sent in shortly."

And she slid away without another word.

Hlin and the Midgardians were waiting inside, and if they noticed her nicer clothes, they made no mention of it. Loki was silent as well, barely looking at her when he came in and sat at the head of the table as the food was served.

The entire meal was uncomfortable, for Tony was harassing Loki as though he would miss the opportunity when he was away. Bruce tried to talk to Asrior, promising that he would bring books and Midgardian tea for her when he came back, which only served to elicit sneers from her husband. Hlin sat in near silence, only speaking to remind her that they were going out to see another family the next morning, and Emil spoke to Loki alone, his sycophantic words turning her stomach.

The food tasted like dust, and Asrior picked at her it; and it was only after a servant picked up her barely-eaten soup that Loki glanced at her and with an overly-concerned tone said, "You've barely touched your supper. And Saldis said that you did not argue even once about the clothes I brought back for you. Are you sure that you are feeling well, wife?"

Her face turning red, she looked at the heavy gold plate being set in front of her by another servant and debated whether she should throw it at Loki's head and then ask him how he was feeling.

But Bruce's unruffled voice said, "I thought you were wearing something new. You should wear that color more often…it's very pretty on you."

Stark chimed in. "I just assumed she'd dressed up in honor of our last night here." And he smirked at her, adding, "But you could wear a potato sack and look gorgeous, woman. When you're divorced from Caligula here, let me know, and I'll hook you up. You should try someone with more charm and personality next time." Then he put propped his chin in his palm, and leaned toward Asrior. "Take Bruce, here. Did I ever tell you about the time your current husband here made the mistake of calling him dull?"

The sound that Loki made when he pushed back from the table sent shivers down Asrior's spine, but it made Stark grin; and her husband's biting, "You are all dull, insignificant, simple minded _insects_," as he threw down his napkin and stalked from the room made the mortal actually giggle.

"Oh…man," he said, leaning back in his chair and watching as Loki stomped out of the room. "That was almost worth the damage to Stark Tower, having that moment to hold over his head."

"What moment? What happened?" Asrior's eyes were wide, and even Hlin looked curious.

But Bruce, very clearly embarrassed, looked pointedly at Stark and said, "It's a story for another time."

Stark made a face and mumbled, "Party pooper." But he pulled his plate toward him and began eating, and though he looked speculatively at Asrior from time to time, said little else.

He was even less talkative the next morning, when he and Bruce waited in the front hall for Ulvgeir to bring the carriages around. Clutching a mug of something that steamed, Stark was mumbling about riding to the city to meet with Thor before taking a portal back home, while Bruce showed Asrior a map of where he was journeying and telling her he'd look for the place she described.

Loki was nowhere to be seen, but Hlin hovered, and when the carriages left to take the two men their separate ways, he said, "The cart's waiting for us."

Her heart was a dull weight in her stomach as she watched the great front doors close behind Bruce and Stark, and it must have shown on her face. For the first time in days, Hlin looked her in the eyes, and his smile was one of grim determination as he said, "You've been allowed to neglect your duties enough. It's time to go."

He turned to walk toward the back of the castle, and she followed without a word, pulling her cloak tightly around the sudden chill that seemed to fill every part of her being. While it was true that the days were getting cooler, she suddenly craved the ability to hide her ears under the cloak's hood. She also felt a childish need to hide the fact that among the clothes Loki had given her was a feminine pair of pants and tunic made of fine fawn-colored linen—the idea of his being thoughtful enough to provide such items that she could wear comfortably on her rambles was off-putting.

Hlin seemed determined to drag her to as many places as he could that morning, as though making up for the time they'd lost during the last week. In the space of a few hours, Asrior met a harassed-looking milliner and several orphaned children she helped look after, a farmer whose family had escaped with their lives but whose farm was destroyed, and in the village, several men with only stumps at the end of their arms or legs who were trying to learn a new trade in the wake of their loss.

And with each new person, Hlin's eyes would grow more defiant and colder. It was almost as though some unseen force were compelling him forward; and he was almost disappointed when the time came to turn back to the castle.

Asrior took his attitude in frigid silence, for as determined as he was to humiliate her, she was even more resolute that she would not show anything that he could use against her.

So she sat with her eyes blank and her face composed, her insides writhing as she waited for the moment they were back at Okershall and she could escape in the confines of the greenhouse.

But when they were so close to the castle that she was watching for the sight of it around the bend of the road, she saw them—a pair of boys barely older-looking than Hlin who were leading a pair of ponies. They were stopped by the forest, for ponies were carrying a load of fruit on their backs, but the harness attaching the load had come undone.

Apples and peaches lay scattered over the road, and one of the boys was yelling as he raised a whip and swung it at the pony's back. The animal was screaming and rearing, and the basket fell from its back and onto the road, and she could see that it was not the first time the boy had used the whip.

At the sight of bloody streaks across the pony's back and flanks, Asrior could hear buzzing in her ears, and she heard someone shout, "No!"

It was only when she was halfway to the ground, scrambling from the cart as Hlin tried hastily to stop their cart that she realized she was the one who had screamed.

But that did not matter, for she caught herself before she stumbled all the way to the ground and was on her feet and running toward them. Hlin was calling for her to stop, but the boy with the whip did not hear him over the sound of the animal, and she was choked into silence, intent only on stopping the beating.

And as the whip was raised again, Asrior pushed to boy to the side and swung around, her hand reaching out to grasp the thick leather before he could use it on the horse.

She fell backwards as the whip hit her wrists, and she somehow managed to grab it in one of her hands. The sting of it cut through her cloak, and the familiar pain spread over her arm and hand, and again she shouted, "No!"

The boy loomed over her, for he was taller than Hlin and close to adulthood, and when he tried to pull the leather from her grasp, she fought back, trying to kick at him. The other boy was shouting at her, pulling at her arms.

"Let go, damn you," one of them demanded, pushing at her. She could feel her hair falling loose and hear the frantic sound of the animals behind her.

Panting and kicking, Asrior managed, "I order you to stop at once!"

Then by some miracle they did so, both of them stepping back and dropping their hands as though burnt. And as she stood in front of them, the whip held in her still-throbbing hands, she saw their stares and knew that they had caught sight of her ears.

"Well, well…" the one who had beaten the horse said, and an even uglier look entered his eyes. "What have we here?"

Her heart, already frantic, seemed to skip a beat, and she moved away from him.

The other boy leered. "We have a dark elf by the looks of it." And he followed her as she moved back, a frightful look on his face. "I thought the rumors in Hindi were untrue, but look at this… a filthy elf that dares to show her face in broad daylight."

"Yes, look at this," a voice from behind him said. "The Lady Asrior, wife to Loki Laufeyson, mistress of the lower countries, and member of the royal house of Thor Odinson. What do you dare do now, scum?"

Asrior's eyes flew to where Hlin stood behind him, and she stifled a gasp at his image. He had assumed his Jotun form and seemed to have grown as he did so, for he was taller than them all. His eyes glowed red as he glared down at them, and the look on his bright blue face was terrifying.

"Answer me!" he snarled, sounding so like Loki that Asrior shivered. "Do you dare threaten my mistress?"

The boys, who had turned as well, cowered at the sight of him. One of them was looking from Hlin to Asrior, and he shook his head, "No! No…we did not know who she was." Then he looked at the other, hissing, "It is him…the frost giant that lives here."

The other was more insolent, his eyes glaring back at Hlin, but he bowed his head after a moment, muttering, "We meant no harm."

"What are you doing on our lands?" Hlin asked, his voice still fierce.

"We were carrying fruit to the palace from orchards in Hindi," one explained, his eyes on the ground. "The harness broke shortly before you approached, and the pony would not allow us near to fix it. We were attempting to instill discipline."

The animal in question was had backed away, and was tossing its head, still making noises; and Asrior could see that it was covered with scars from past abuse.

And though her body still shook and her heart was in her throat, she snarled, "It is no wonder, given the torture the creature has endured." She looked up at Hlin. "This is not the first time it has been beaten."

A look at the other pony showed similar marks, and Hlin's eyes narrowed.

"You will leave these parts now," he ordered, and when one of the boys went to gather the pony whose basket was still full, Asrior snapped, "You will leave without your animals! They will stay here."

"But…" the defiant one turned to glare at her. "They are not mine! My master will beat me instead if I return without them!"

"If he has an issue with your losing them, then I suggest your master take the issue up with Loki." Hlin looked almost majestic as he spoke to them. "Leave this place immediately or pay the price for your refusal."

The one boy began cursing under his breath, but the other took his arm, urging, "Come on, before he goes and gets Loki himself."

And as they left, slowly trudging back down the road, Hlin and Asrior watched them in silence. It was only when their figures were much smaller than Hlin turned to her and said, "Well? What do we do now?"

A glance at him showed that he had returned to his Asgardian form, though his eyes still held a ring of red.

Asrior bit her lip and slowly approached the injured pony, saying, "We take care of him." Her voice was shaking, and as she neared the animal, she could see that some of the welts were newly crusted over and some were deeper than others—very deep. The animal had obviously been beaten for days leading up to his arrival at Okershall.

The familiar nausea rose in her stomach when she neared, for the pony grew agitated. It was breathing faster and a hoof was raised, but she tried to use a soothing voice and ignore her fright. It helped that the beast was much smaller than a normal horse; and then she remembered how Loki had soothed his mount when it had spooked by the lake, and she slowly raised a hand, whispering softly that she did meant no harm.

Her heart was hammering and her stomach lurched; and she was sure the beast could smell the fear on her. But she continued to move slowly until she had grasped the rope tied to its neck. When the pony allowed her to hold it, she looked over her shoulder, her eyes filled with desperation.

Hlin was right behind her.

"Here," he muttered, taking the rope from her so that she could move to the side. And with an assurance like his master's, his other hand moved along the pony's neck. "You look like you're about to faint again." He glanced at Asrior, and sounded doubtful. "I suppose we can take him back to the stables…I can see if someone from the village can look at him."

Asrior had stepped back, feeling worse than Hlin said she looked, and was ready to turn around; but something the tone of his voice stopped her.

"Who usually takes care of sick animals?" she asked, knowing before he answered what the answer would be.

"Hogun," he said gruffly, staring at the horse. "But I cannot…"

"Then we will go to him," she said, and moved with resolution to where the other pony stood despite how her insides protested. He allowed her to take its rope, and she pushed the fear down and turned away from it, hoping that by not looking at the beast, she would not faint. "You can lead me into the woods. We will take the ponies to him."

Hlin looked as though he were about to argue, but Asrior's voice rose imperiously. "It is not a suggestion, Hlin, but an order. I am mistress of Okershall and you will do as I say!"

He looked both scared and doubtful at once, and his mouth set into a thin line after a moment, and he muttered, "If you are sure."

The pony he held was making noises as though it was still in agony; and the sound woke the same feeling in her that had risen at the sight of the whip.

"It is an order, Hlin."

Her voice was strong, and her stance spoke of resolution, and something in her face must have convinced him, for he sighed after a moment.

"Alright," he said, his face dark, "but don't blame me when you end up dead."

He moved forward, and when he neared the thickness of the forest, a path suddenly appeared. Asrior followed him as he ducked into the trees, her heart fit to burst despite her outward assurance. She could feel her pony's breaths on her back, and the moans of the one Hlin led echoed eerily in the looming woods.

As they marched deeper into the green shadows, her heart hammered in her ears, drowning out the sounds of the animals; and she called on the memory of her mother, and remembered Kagoq's words.

_Be brave._

But she had never been more afraid.

* * *

**Zippythewondersquirrel**-thanks for the review! As you can see, they have become really good friends...and that will get even better. And Loki will become aware of all of Asrior's secrets. Eventually ;)

**London calling**-thank you for the kind words. I hope you like this chapter..more musings, stubbornness, and Stark has some of my favorite lines this time.

**Guest 1**-well...Loki will not enjoy his time with Banner and Stark on top of his dear wife's button pushing, that is clear. And it is what makes...something that I can't tell you about kind of... OH you will know when you read it. Thanks for reading (and rereading!), and I hope you like this chapter as well.

**AARSGGGHMJH**-oh dear, love/hate? I hope that's a good thing! And do you know, the first thing I wanted to write when I read your comment was 'hi, loki', lol.

**Candy Flaps**-I decided early on when plotting this out that cats do not exist on Svartalfheim or on Asgard. There is a small animal that is used to take care of rodents, but it is well behaved and not nearly as cute as a cat. I had to make this decision because there is something that will happen later that I absolutely had to put in, and its full impact was not right if Asrior was acquainted with the feline species. But a kitten? Hmmmm... Thanks for the review! I'm glad you are enjoying this!

**mewlingq**-as you can see, Loki is not handling things well. :D It's not going to get better for him any time soon either. :D:D:D Thanks for the reading and reviewing! It makes me very glad to hear that you like to read in between updates.

**HarryPotterFreakie**-I love tony too! Asrior is super PO'd but she's pragmatic...she has to pick her battles, because she knows shes not in a place of power here. And at some point, some characters might give her a reason *not* to be so angry... And thanks for the review.

**SissyPerigrin**-thanks for saying such nice things about my OC. And you know what? I won't like...she gets her happy ending. It just might take a while. And I hope it's worth reading the whole way though.

**shelly**-yes, he's dreaming. And he has the audacity to think she's doing the same, lol. The bed sharing will get here, just not right away, so I hope you keep enjoying the conflict. But when it happens, I hope that it's right. And good job on Emil. But how bad is he...has yet to be seen. Thanks for reading and commenting!

**pursehappy**-thank you so very much for your words. I love to hear when people stay up late to read every chapter (because I've done the same more than once with fics...and if you enjoy this as much as I've enjoyed those...it means a lot). Crying buckets is also very good! I looooove to make people cry when I write, which might explain why I am drawn to Loki :D. And while I do write for a living, it's not fiction. Maybe I should try my hand at it? But I love my current job, and I work at a really cool place where I get to write features on really amazing a real-life people. OH, and the story is less than 50% done (maybe 40%?). It is well beyond 50%past the point until Loki learns the truth about Asrior. It a little over 50% until the HMS (why a friend calls 'hot monkey sex') happens. If I have my math correct. But there's a reason why I'm a writer and not a rocket scientist!

**NoVacancyMind**-lol, don't track me down! I'll finish! Thanks for the very nice review, though, and for making me laugh.

**Guest 2**-under different circumstances, there is A LOT that Loki would enjoy about Asrior. Good thing for him, he'll figure that out at some point. Maybe he'll even realize that he likes it when someone is daring enough to push his buttons? You'll have to wait to see about the nightmares, but I for some reason find it so MALE of him to think she's tired because she's all hot over him. And he will learn the truth about everything, but even then, the story will be only part way done when he finds out...it's not like Asrior is going to fall into his arms when he knows, given how he's been acting, even if she does have a certain amount of...sympathy, maybe...for his feelings and reactions. And you saw that he repeated her words about Jerrick's son! Thanks for letting me know...that was just a little thing I put in, because he was really watching her carefully even then and he's going to feel really shitty at some point when he understands why she acted as she did in court. Thanks so much for reviewing, and I hope you liked this update as well.


	11. Chapter 10-Change comes bearing gifts

A/N-Thanks to all for reviewing and following! I have so much to say, but will do so after a bit and at the end of this update.

Just...thanks for the comments! It is so great to hear your thoughts and it inspires me to write.

This took longer than I wanted to get out, but I have a large portion of the next update written (it was cut out of this chapter). A wee peak at Tony and Bruce this chapter, but much more next! And a bit of foreshadowing here. And we're getting closer to Asrior's secrets being out, I promise.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy this update.

The O/C is mine, all else is marvel's.

* * *

**Chapter 10-Change comes bearing gifts**

"This is madness." Hlin was muttering under his breath, giving her looks over his shoulder every now and then as they moved deeper into the woods. "Madness. Hogun will kill you. And if he doesn't kill me in the process, then Loki will."

"Don't be ridiculous," Asrior said, trying to sound surer than she felt. "He is one of the Warriors Three. His loyalty to Thor is unquestioned. Surely he would not cause such problems for his king as to…to hurt me in any way."

Hlin was watching her again, his mouth open to say something; but then it closed for a moment, and she saw that his eyes were on her hands that gripped the pony's rope.

"You're bleeding."

"I am?" She looked down and noticed that blood was dripping down her wrist from the spot where the whip had hit. There was a stinging there, and on her hands, but she could feel a warm kind of tingling that told her it was healing—unlike with Valtur's cursed whip, she would bear no scars.

"We should go back and get something to speed your recovery," he said. "It will cause trouble for Loki if you are hurt, and…"

She gave him a look of incredulity. "This is nothing." And when the pony's cries grew, she set her jaw. "We are not going back. It will cause the beast more pain to go all the way to the castle; and I suspect we're almost there, anyway."

And as the last word fell from her tongue, they rounded a corner and entered a glade that sheltered a small cottage and outbuilding surrounded by a wooden fence. A juvenile goat sat inside the enclosure, bleating at them, and the second building's exterior wall was lined with raised cages that held birds and rabbits.

Asrior arched a brow at Hlin, who looked disgruntled and muttered, "We are here."

"Should we approach the door?" she asked over the sound of the pony's cries, her nerves almost deserting her. "Do you think he's inside, or…"

The cottage's door opened as though in answer to her question, and Hogun stepped out.

It took him a moment to notice her, for his eyes went to Hlin and the bleeding pony first; but as he took a step toward them, he saw Asrior and stopped. He stared at her, and his body began to vibrate as though he held something overwhelming from bursting out of him, and his eyes were burning when he turned them back to Hlin.

"Why did you bring his daughter to my home?"

The words were soft, deceptively so, for in them was a tremor of so much menace that Hlin paled.

"I tried to tell her this was not a good idea." The words came from the boy in a rush. "We saw the ponies… They were beating it… It was not my intention to cause you… I'm sorry…"

"I ordered him to take me here," Asrior said, cutting over his stumbling explanation. Hogun turned to her, and she stepped forward, ignoring how her legs shook. The look in his eyes was terrifying, but she told herself that he could not possibly be as bad as Valtur, and lifting her chin with determination, she continued, "These ponies have been badly abused, and the one Hlin is leading needs immediate attention. I want… I am asking you to take care of them." Her body was visibly trembling, but she refused to look away. "Please."

The warrior made an animalistic sound in his throat, but he turned and walked to where Hlin stood. He took the rope and began to inspect the pony's wounds, and his voice was a mixture of anger and reluctance when he asked, "Who did this?"

Hlin looked ridiculously relieved that he asked a question rather than shouted. "Some workers from Hindi bringing fruit to the castle. They were not from these parts. We saw them when we were coming back from the village."

"You did not take the path through the forest?" Hogun asked, and Hlin shook his head, muttering, "Of course not."

Hogun grunted, and he turned to the outbuilding, leading the pony inside the fence. Hlin moved to where Asrior stood, and he took the rope that she held, muttering, "Don't say anything else, I beg of you."

Her heart was hammering, but she threw him a look and hissed, "I will do what I want."

He looked anxious. "Not now." And then he turned to lead the second pony into the fence. Unable to help herself, Asrior followed him, though she did not go inside the pen. She stood on the outside, her hands gripping the railing tightly and watched as Hogun carefully took the rope and harness strap from the animal's back.

After a moment, he looked up and saw that Hlin was beside him and that Asrior was watching over the fence.

"You need to go," he said, taking the other rope from the boy. "I will take the animals." And when Hlin dipped his head and bowed slightly, Hogun's face twisted. "And do not bring her here again. I do not care how injured the animal is. I do not care if there is a person near death. I cannot promise what I will do next time if she is here."

The words were torn from him, and instead of rage, they were filled with a horrible desolation.

Asrior remembered the baby that had died with his wife, and her throat began to hurt; but when Hlin opened his mouth to say something, it was she who spoke.

"I am sorry if I caused you distress," she said, trying to be heard for her voice suddenly quite hoarse. "I will not bother you again. You have my word."

But the sadness left the warrior's eyes so quickly that it made her dizzy, and he whipped his head around, shouting with so much ferocity that he almost spit, "Do you think I give a damn about your word? Do not dare speak to me! Go away from here before I forget my promises and hurt you!"

She could only stare at him, for her body went numb, and when Hlin hurriedly pushed open the fence's gate and grabbed her arm, her legs felt rooted to the ground. She must have managed to go after him when he pulled her toward the path, because she realized that she was moving; and she did not dare turn to look behind her.

Neither spoke for minutes, and Asrior vaguely wondered if she were under some kind of spell. Her heart was hammering even harder than it had when she'd faced Hogun, and both of her legs were so unsteady that she would have fallen if not for Hlin's hand pulling on her arm. She could hear a buzzing in her ears that was so loud that when the boy finally spoke, she did not answer until he stopped and began shaking her arm.

"I am talking to you!" he was shouting, though his face was fearful instead of angry.

Asrior forced herself to focus on him, and her voice did not sound like her own when she told him, "I did not hear you. Repeat yourself."

"I said," he began, his teeth clenched, "that you will never demand that I do such a thing again. It is not rightof me to help bring up such memories for him."

Hlin looked so upset that his eyes were tinged red; and she raised her other hand and placed it over his where it gripped her arm.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was barely a whisper. "I was so upset about the ponies that I did not stop to think. I'm sorry to put you in that position, Hlin."

His eyes jerked to hers at the sound of his name on her lips, and he dropped his hand, pulling away as though burnt.

"You tell that to Loki." He was scowling at her, his mood shifting into familiar territory. "I will have to face his anger over today's events. I have allowed myself to be put in a very bad position."

"Of course I'll tell him," she said, a blank mask covering her face at the mention of her husband. "I shall explain that this was entirely my fault."

"Yes, but I suspect he will still find fault with me," he snapped. "He put you in my charge, and I failed to say no to you. I should have controlled you better. I will be blamed and rightfully so." He turned on his heel as he spoke, and began stomping up the path, muttering something about returning to their cart.

Any dismay at the situation fled at the mention of their need to control her, and she was in a temper by the time they were back at Okershall.

She fled to the sanctuary of the greenhouse immediately, hoping that time spend there would calm her mood; but her efforts did little to help, and she was viciously cutting at a berry bush with stubborn, tangled branches when the door from the keep burst open and the hard sound of boots clicked across the floor.

Asrior knew it was Loki; she could feel the anger pouring from him, and she did not look up from her work as he approached, instead whacking at the stubborn branch even harder.

"Are you so determined to defy me that you do not care how your actions affect others? Or do you enjoy inflicting pain?"

The acerbic words were so unfair that she threw down the heavy metal clippers and turned to glare at him. "I do not enjoy seeing anyone hurt, even animals. Did Hlin even get a chance to tell you why I made him bring me to Hogun before you stormed off to berate me?"

"You could have brought the pony back here," Loki snapped, moving so that he towered over her, and his pale green eyes glittered with danger. "Did that thought even occur to you? Did you think how Hogun would feel to see Valtur's daughter outside of his door?"

She was shaking again, but with fury instead of fear. "Calm deliberation isn't my first reaction when I see someone using a whip on an innocent creature!" she shouted at him, stepping forward, for she was determined not to back down. "You did not see the animal's wounds! You did not hear it! Hogun's cottage was nearby _and _he was best suited to help. I was not going to subject that animal to more torture simply because the sight of me is so offensive!"

Loki's lip curled. "Since when is Valtur's the Unmerciful's daughter so outraged by cruelty that she forgets herself?"

So angry that spots were floating in front of her eyes, Asrior bit out, "I am Birgitta of Asgard's daughter…and I do not enjoy inflicting pain on others or being witness to it."

"Really?" he snorted his skepticism and took a step back from her. "I saw the dwarf's wounds, Asrior. Did you know that? Do you deny that you yourself were beating him when he was rescued?"

"No, I do not." She refused to look away and with grim determination said, "I did what I had to do." She tried to add, _It was better to hurt each other than to allow Valtur to beat us_, but the words did not come out.

"What you had to do?" He clearly did not believe her. "Your father ordered you to beat him?"

"Yes!" Asrior was almost relieved that he might finally understand, and she began, "It was more… You see…"

_I saved him from…_

But the words stopped again. Exasperated, she gritted, "If you doubt me, you can ask Kagoq."

"How convenient that his lack of tongue makes such a conversation impossible." His voice was slightly calmer, but his body twitched as though his anger still seethed within him. "Did you know we tried to heal him? That even I couldn't undo the dark magic used on him?"

"Bring him here," she challenged, hoping with everything in her that he would listen. "I know how to speak with him. We had years together, we learned how to communicate."

Loki's eyes narrowed, and for a second, she could see curiosity in them.

But he scoffed, and said, "By what kind of magic does he speak?"

"We created our own language with our hands," Asrior gritted, and she demonstrated, signing, _You should be named the god of arrogance and stupidity._

His eyes were slits. "What was that?"

"I was using my hands to say that you would be wise to listen to me," she said, her arms crossing in front of her.

Loki breathed out hard. "Why should I believe you…any of this?"

"Bring Kagoq here and you will see," she demanded.

He had stepped even further away, and one of his hands flexed. "I don't think so," he said after a moment, his voice grew harder. "Though you can damn well believe I'll find out why you are so determined to get the dwarf."

Her momentary flash of hope left as suddenly as it had flared, and before she could stop herself, she begged, "Please listen to me!"

"You listen to me, elf…since Hlin has demonstrated his inability to control you, you are under my charge for now. He will attend to duties at the castle while I escort you around our lands." He smirked at her dismayed expression, and with a silky voice added, "After all, we are husband and wife, and it is both of our duties to take care of the people here. Don't you agree?"

Hlin's barbs and taunts had been hard enough to bear; Asrior did not want to think what it would be like spending so much time with Loki.

"I will not be heard at all, will I?" she asked, her arms slowly unwinding, the mask settling over her face again. "There is nothing I can say that you will try to hear, is there?"

"No… No, I'm going to watch you." His voice was cold. "You seem to have too much sway over my ward. First he regales me with tales of your concern for the people here and how hard you work. And now he displays such boldness in taking you to Hogun simply because you asked him nicely…it is too much. I obviously made a mistake trusting him with you. You will not find me so easy to fool."

And he turned on his heel without another word and stormed from the greenhouse.

Her anger and frustration was such that it wasn't until she'd begun to hack at the bush's branches again that she realized what he'd said about Hlin, that the boy had been gracious of her efforts to help Ringsfjord's people. And though Loki had not believed him, the knowledge that Hlin had spoken kindly of her stirred something in her, something that she had not felt for a long time.

But such emotion was folly, and thinking that Hlin had begun to see her was more so; and after a moment, Asrior began to trim the bush's branches again, though this time her movements were much less violent.

….

He was trying very hard to tamp down on his frustration when he strode toward the breakfast room.

In the wake of Valtur's attack on Midgard, he and Thor had tried to keep track of Jerrick's movements. His brother used conventional methods—sending courtiers to talk to the man first, and consenting to bribe servants for information when that failed to work. Loki, on the other hand, had used every piece of magic and trickery he could think of, and nothing was working. He'd never experienced anything like it.

Just that morning, he'd mustered every ounce of power and projected onto Jerrick's lands after word reached them that the man was back in Nornheim. Dawn would be a good time to approach, and Loki been cloaked in invisibility and had used a number of spells to protect himself from detection.

And yet he could not enter the palace. No matter how he tried to enter, he would find himself standing outside of the castle walls as though tossed out by an invisible hand. It had a similar effect as the rather simple spell he'd used to block Asrior's access to the forest, but this was much more powerful, for he could not break it…and it could only have been caused by dark magic, magic such that even he had not encountered before.

He'd sat outside the castle's walls and stewed, waiting, until Jerrick and some of his men rode out on horses; but when he followed, Loki had been unable to hear them as they spoke. It was as though the same magic that kept him from the castle protected the men's words when they left.

But he was not sure if they had means of detecting his presence. Loki knew when elves were near, he could _feel _their power, which was a large part of the reason attacks close to Okershall were rare and why they stopped any time he rode to more affected areas. Perhaps Valtur could feel him and stayed inside Jerrick's walls, protected by his magic, while he sent Jerrick out to demonstrate the extent of his power.

Or Valtur was on Svartalfheim and Jerrick rode out without realizing that Loki watched him closely.

Whatever, it vexed him greatly, and the last thing Loki needed as he prepared to ride into Ringsfjord with his wife was poor control over his feelings. The mere thought of such weakness was pathetic, and as he stalked down the hall toward the small room they used in the mornings, his expression was dour.

And as he drew near, the sound of Hlin's voice drew him out of his reverie.

"…do not know where you go off to every morning, but it will get me into more trouble, and it must stop."

Loki entered the small room and saw that Hlin was standing by the table, piling smoked meat on to his plate; Asrior was sitting, a steaming mug in front of her.

She knew that he entered, for though the stiffening of her back was almost imperceptive, it was enough for him to notice. And when she answered Hlin, her voice was tight as well.

"I merely walk and find interesting plants." Her eyes were on the mug in front of her. "There is no cause for you to be concerned."

"Yes, well…you were covered in dirt earlier." Hlin pulled a chair out and sat as he grumbled at her, and he did not seem to notice Loki's presence. "Those must have been some plants you found."

Asrior lifted a shoulder. "I found many interesting plants." And her eyes slid to Loki as he walked up to the table. "But as you can see, I changed out of those clothes and put on something entirely proper in which to be stared at when we ride out later."

She was wearing a simple grey-blue dress of fine linen, and she had pulled the top of her dark red hair back with a clip, the rest flowing over her shoulders; her face was shining, as though she'd just scrubbed it. She was not giving him any reason to complain about her appearance, though she did not refrain from using words to prick at him.

But Loki ignored her goading and smirked. "You are all up bright and early."

Hlin looked disgruntled. "I had to help feed the animals this morning, as you well know."

"Oh…that's right." He sat and reached for the pot of tea. "And how did it go? Did you find the cows and pigs easier to handle than my wife?"

He ignored the subsequent glares that the other two gave him, wondering if Stark got as much pleasure in provoking him—and if he did, Loki could well understand his compulsion in doing it. Indeed, the prodding so entertained him that his mood had lifted. Whatever the elf was up to, he would find out, and he would enjoy himself in the process rather than allow her scheming to put him in an ill humor.

"So…have you spoken to Emil about what you'll be doing later?" he asked Hlin.

The boy shrugged, muttering darkly, "The outer curtain wall is being repaired. I am to help."

A corner of Loki's mouth lifted at his obvious displeasure at his punishment, then he looked at Asrior. "And did he tell you where we were riding to today? Or…"

"Yes, he told me," she said, her countenance much more controlled than Hlin's; and then a servant bustled into the room and sat a covered basket on the table near her. She peeked into it, and with a look of gratification said, "Thank you."

The rest of the meal passed in silence. Hlin ate slowly, as though to delay his duties, but as soon as Loki was finished, he pushed back from the table, looking at him. "I think you're late enough, Hlin."

The boy nodded, his face glum, and Asrior sent him an apologetic look as he left; and when she pulled a bowl of fruit toward her and began putting some into a bag, she determinedly avoided Loki's gaze.

Her movements were slow and deliberate, and if she was determined to annoy him, Loki was equally determined not to show his temper.

"Ready?" he asked when she put the bag over her shoulder. "Do you need anything else before we leave? Any more food? Bread, perhaps?"

She looked at him then, her lips tilting downward at his overly-attentive tone. "No, I have everything that I require for today."

He dipped his head and followed her when she moved to leave, basket and bag in hand, and when they left the back of the castle and were crossing the dirt yard, he looked at the cart that sat waiting for them by the stables with distaste.

At some point, Hlin had mentioned that Asrior did not ride, and Loki glanced at her as she put her belongings in the back of the cart, wondering what kind of story she had spun to his ward. It was impossible to believe that Valtur the Unmerciful's daughter did not know how to ride a horse, and he was half-tempted to force her to do so when he saw that the back of the cart was loaded with sacks and crates.

"What is this?" he asked, watching as Asrior climbed into the back of the cart.

"Things some families we'll visit need," she said, perching on one of the crates.

He arched a brow, watching as she spread her skirts carefully around her. His wife seemed as determined as he was to appear unruffled.

Biting back the grunt he wanted to give in answer, Loki instead smiled and asked, "But why do you sit in the back with the baggage?"

"We have a driver today," she explained calmly, surprising him, for he had expected a pithy remark about her status at the castle.

And then as a voice behind him said, "Good morning, my lord."

Turning, he saw the Ulvgeir walking from the stables, a genial smile on his face.

Loki nodded in answer, then glanced at his wife, muttering, "You think me incapable of driving the cart?"

She was smiling at the coachman as she answered him. "I believe that Emil thought you would think such a task beneath you." And she turned her blue gaze at him, and as though he were child denied a treat, asked, "Did you want drive the ponies?"

It was going to be difficult to keep his temper. Emil was right. He was Loki of Asgard, ruler of the lower countries, prince and god, and he was going to spend his day being pulled about in a pony cart as though he were a provincial bumpkin.

It was an effort not to grit his teeth. "No. I do not want to drive the ponies."

"I did not think so either," she said, her voice pleasant.

And as Ulvgier said, "Excuse me, my lord," and moved past him to climb into the cart's front seat, she added, "I am sitting back here because there is not room enough for the three of us up front; and I did not suppose you wanted to sit back here among the flour and tools."

He gave her a scathing look in answer before stepping up into the cart; and as he flipped his leather coat back to settle next to Ulvgeir, he heard her say, "I also suggested that you ride ahead on your horse, but Emil seemed to think you would have a harder time keeping control of me if were so separated."

Thankful that his back was to her and she could not see his face, Loki gave in, grinding his teeth together so that they hurt and commanded, "Drive."

Ulvgeir gave him a look that was close to sympathetic, but he knew him too well to be so audacious; and during the drive, when the coachman began to hum a local folk tune, Loki contented himself with thinking of the ways he could force his wife to tell him why the dwarf was so important.

Soon enough, they were at a farm, the one where the man Halfjorn sat without use of his mind, if Loki remembered correctly. Children seemed to pour from every crevice of the property when the cart stopped, and as Loki climbed down to greet them, he was pleased to see the look of apprehension on their dust-smeared faces as they neared.

He smirked, glancing at Asrior to see if she could contain her composure in light of their fear of her; but the elf was actually smiling at the children, saying "Do you not recognize Loki?"

One of them, a girl barely taller than his knee, shook her head and inched closer to Asrior; and another, a boy who was obviously trying to sound brave, said, "I remember…he was here after father was injured."

And Loki realized they were afraid of _him_.

He must have scowled, because two of them scampered behind Asrior, and she gave him a reproachful look before soothing, "There is nothing to be worried about; Loki is master of Ringsfjord and your mother says that he is a very fine ruler."

She had her basket with her, and she reached inside, pulling out a small bag and handing it to one of the children, asking, "What are you working at today?"

The boy who had spoken earlier answered, "Repairing the hoops on the bushel baskets."

"The apples are all in?"

"They were taken to a brewer last week for cider," he said, and then, watching the other children opening the bag, added quickly, "Aunt Nessa is inside. Hjorter and Halporr went to the village."

Asrior was actually grinning at his sudden impatience, and said, "Go on and have your treat. Just do not neglect your work, or your mother will have my head."

Almost immediately, the children ran off toward the barn, a few of them giving Loki nervous looks before they scattered. And as Asrior began to move toward the cottage, he fell into step beside her, muttering, "Bribing them with sweets, elf?"

"They are children, and they work very hard helping run the farm," was her unflustered answer. "Surely you do not begrudge them a treat simply because it comes from me?"

The door to the cottage was opening, and the woman that exited looked tired; her hair was falling from its knot and her clothes were damp with sweat.

Loki stopped and waited for her to approach, wondering what her reaction would be to his wife. She was not a child, easily fooled by smiles and candy.

She dipped into a curtsey, saying, "My lord…my lady," and stood, waiting for him to speak again.

Asrior, he saw, gave her a look of reassurance, and the woman actually smiled in return.

"Good morning, Nessa." He tried to sound pleasant. "How is Halfjorn?"

"Halfjorn is fine, thank you," she said, giving him a more timid smile. "He is sitting in the garden behind the cottage. I've been making bread all morning, and it is quite warm inside." And then she turned to Asrior. "The men finished helping with the roof just a few days ago, my lady. Thank you so much for sending them."

"I am thankful we had enough men to help," Asrior said, and she glanced back at the cart, where Ulvgeir waited. "I have a few tools that Hlin sent over. He said Hjorter needed to plane some wood for the barn doors he's rebuilding."

The women walked toward the cart, all but ignoring him as Ulvgeir helped unload the items sent by Hlin. After, Loki allowed the woman to lead him behind the cottage to where her husband sat with a quilt over his legs, staring blankly at the garden's fading blooms.

Asrior began asking Nessa about some of the flowers; and by the time they were back in the cart and headed away, several plants whose roots were wrapped in damp cloth had taken the place of the box they left at the farm, while Loki sat in the front, brooding.

Their next stop, at another farm much farther down the road and past the village, was altogether different. It was home to an ancient farmer and his sons, several of whom were scarred from fighting dark elves, and their extended families. And though the farmhouse rambled on with odd additions here and there, it looked entirely too small to house so many people.

Indeed, the first thing the patriarch—a wizened man named Doan—did after greeting Loki was to ask about supplies to build another room.

"There a bit of lumber in the cart," Asrior said calmly despite the old man's glower at her. "There are crates with tiles, too, for the roof."

"Didn't ask for no tiles," one of the man's sons said, spitting on the ground without turning away from her. "I can't build walls with tiles."

Her face turned even more placid. "Hlin has men searching for more wood and he asked for your patience; more forest has been burned on the borders, so the lumber is sent from far away now."

The men only grumbled in response, and with the smallest of sighs, Asrior reached into her basket and pulled out something green and wrapped in white cloth.

"I've bought more haritak for Sturla; is her hand healing?"

"Don't need it," Doan said, not reaching for the herbs.

Asrior continued to hold her hand out. "Even if she is better, these can be dried for later use. Those kind of wounds…"

"I said she don't need it," Doan cut off her words, his voice rising and face turning darker. "Hogan visited not two days ago and left medicine. We don't need anything from you."

Asrior's hand finally fell to her side, and she began again, "There's a load of stone just arrived in the village near Okershall. We're using it to repair some of the our curtain walls, but some has been set aside for your use."

The men grumbled at the news, and one of them derided, "Our wagon went and busted a wheel. How do you propose we get it?"

Loki, who had initially enjoyed their attitude toward wife, was growing more annoyed; it was one thing for the men to be reluctant to talk to her, but it was quite another to be so belligerent when he himself stood by her side.

Stepping forward, he looked down at Doan, saying, "Enough complaints. I have come to offer help, and if you do not want it, we can take the lumber and tiles to another farm."

The old man immediately fell into a bow, and he mumbled, "Didn't mean to disrespect anyone."

It was a lie, but Loki accepted it, even when the man stared at him resentfully when he stood again.

"How many of you live here?" Loki asked then, and Doan muttered, "Fifteen, with a babe on the way."

"Fifteen people? In that?" He looked at the rambling cottage with something close to shock on his face. "Then you shouldn't delay. We'll leave Ulvgeir here to help you with the wagon wheel; he's quite adept at such work. Take him to the village near the castle when it's fixed and you can get your stone."

Doan nodded and bowed again with a jerky movement, as though it pained him to do so.

Ulvgeir had moved forward and was genially saying, "Where's this wagon you spoke of?" And then a small and thin woman appeared from behind one of the men and approached Asrior, muttering, "I'll take the herbs if you please," and almost yanked them from her hand.

And as Loki and Asrior turned to back to the cart, he looked down at her, asking, "Are they always so boorish to you?"

He automatically offered her a hand when they reached the pony cart, but she ignored it, climbing in by herself and saying, "Oh, no, Doan and his sons were on their best behavior today. You will be pleased to know that they are usually much more rude and aggressive when I visit."

She was moving toward the back of the wagon, and he scowled.

"What are you doing? Sit in front now. It is bad enough I have to drive the cart, I will not have people feeling sorry for you because I make you ride in the back with the potatoes."

Instead of flashing her eyes at him as he expected, she moved to settle in the front of the cart without comment; and when he climbed in and began driving off, Asrior folded her hands and adopted such a peaceful expression that he was sure she was trying to vex him.

And she remained that way the entirety of the day.

When they visited another farm, this one more welcoming, she was smiling and composed. When they stopped in a small settlement to drop of a crate of flour and root vegetables, she endured glares and muttered slurs with an air of tranquility. When they approached the village and she was greeted with cries for fruit from the children and glares from their parents, she handed out apples and peaches and spoke with such tranquility that he was almost fooled.

It was her hands that gave her away.

As he drove the cursed pony cart back to Okershall, she sat beside him with the now-empty basket on her lap, looking out at the passing scenery in silence. But the hand that gripped the basket's handle was white at the knuckles, so fierce was her grasp, and the one that held edge of the wooden seat beside her sometimes jerked as though she itched to hit something.

And when they pulled the cart behind the old keep, she got down without looking at him, gathering the cuttings from the first farm and heading in silence toward the greenhouse.

For the life of him, Loki did not know whether to call the day success or failure.

….

Asrior lost count of the days she rode out with Loki, for one seemed to blend into the other.

Each day was the same. They visited farms and villages, giving out aid as promised and taking stock of what more needed to be done. She was treated with a mixture of guarded friendliness and outright hostility, though most who distrusted her contained their actions to glares now that Loki rode with her. He had made it clear that he would not tolerate discourteous behavior in his presence, even if she was a dark elf and so deserved it.

It was interesting to see how the people in Ringsfjord responded to him. Quite a few distrusted him, though for different reasons than they did her; their attitude toward Loki was born from a feeling that the lords of Asgard had neglected the lower countries for centuries, taking the wealth produced there—precious metals and food and timber—and giving little back in return. Loki's presence in the lower countries was the first such by a member of a royal house in living memory according to one old man she spoke with. And though their misgivings were obvious, he seemed determined to overcome them.

He relished being ruler—Asrior could tell that he enjoyed the power he held over others and the deference accorded him in return. He was accustomed to veneration, of course, being a prince of Asgard. But his ability to command…his unquestioned authority seemed to be new to him. She could not pinpoint what exactly it was, but there was something about how he wielded his influence that made her think he only now believed it that such power was his right.

Though she tried very hard not to, she had to admit that she was coming to respect the care he took of his lands, and the way in which he conducted himself as they visited his people. Her husband was very aware of his importance and expected deference—but he did he did not like speciousness, despite his own ability to spin lies. He was more than happy to except compliments and praise, but only if earned, and it was clear that he disliked toadying and insincerity immensely.

He also loathed riding behind the ponies, but he did not complain. He seemed to think that such grumbling was more humiliating than the actual act of sitting in the tiny cart.

Loki was so very aware of his countenance—and was very mindful that he should not do anything to blemish his newfound standing.

It was admirable.

But the idea that she could admire any part of him made her so irate that she was having a hard time concentrating. It was bad enough that the nightmares still came at times, but to think that her husband who had treated her so grievously was not entirely wicked was almost too much to bear.

And as she sat among the boulders, as she'd done so many mornings when the sun rose, she was once again a jumble of emotions.

She came to the memorial near the woods often, at first cleaning the weeds and overgrown grasses that hid the names of the glorious dead on some of the smaller rocks. Then she'd come to plant flowers for the spring—purple-hued groundcover and low-growing, multi-colored blooms that would be a thing of beauty when the snow melted.

Asrior was not sure why she took such care of the area, or why she kept her work secret; and she wished more than anything that she would not be there by the time the flowers were actually in blossom. It was a compulsion that she could not control, and most mornings the work she did there helped ease her thoughts.

This day, though, it did not seem to work. Her mind was all over the place, and what was worse, she felt as though someone was watching her. It was not the first time she'd had that feeling, but it was more intense this day.

It was disconcerting, so much so that after a very short time, she was gathering her bag of garden tools and walking back up to the castle, forcing herself not to look behind her when the feeling stayed with her the entire way up the drive.

She almost gave a sigh of relief when she neared the greenhouse door, and even the sight of Hlin standing outside of it did not bother her.

"Morning," he said, eyeing her clothes without comment, and when she muttered a greeting and opened the greenhouse door, he followed her in.

"Are you done with the animals so early?" she asked, not looking at him as she put her tools away. Hlin's mood that week shifted between resentfulness and kindness, and she was so unsure how to handle the second that she had taken to avoiding him.

"Yes, all done," he said, and smirked at her, "The pigs and cows are easy to handle once they grow accustomed to you."

She made a face and looked down at her tunic, which was much cleaner than most mornings. "Do I look presentable enough for breakfast?"

"You didn't do much digging around today, did you?" he asked, looking curious, and he sounded almost kind when he asked, "Are you going to try to grow things in here when the snows come?"

"I hope that I am not here when the snows come." Her words were clipped, for she distrusting his mood.

If Hlin noticed her shortness, he didn't comment on it, instead following her as she moved toward the entry to the keep. "I wanted to tell you that the pony is doing much better. They both are."

She looked at him then, asking, "They are? Did Hogun tell you…"

He was shaking his head. "No, I went there last night after dinner. I wanted to get some salve—you have no idea how long it takes my muscles to heal after the work Emil has me doing—and I thought I should check on them." He looked almost embarrassed. "I thought you might like to know how they are."

His admission surprised her, and it was hard to keep her emotions hidden when she said, "Thank you, Hlin. That is…that was very kind of you."

Looking at his boots, he shrugged. "I wanted to see them, too."

"Yes, well…you can tell me more about your work this week over breakfast," she said bracingly, knowing that the conversation made him self-conscious. "And I will tell you about everyone I have seen this week." And as they entered the golden wing of the castle, her stomach grumbled, and with a grimace, she said, "I hope cook made more of the sweet rolls this morning. I have been craving them all week."

"She has made them all week, and she has stewed peaches, too," Hlin said, and the look he gave her was odd.

"Yes, the peaches," Asrior said, thinking of her stomach. "I think I ate the entire bowl yesterday. I'm sorry if I didn't leave you any."

"No…it's alright. I do not like sweet things for breakfast." His head tilted to the side. "But can you do a favor for me and eat some of the sausages today if cook made any?"

"Why? They are your favorite, not mine."

They were entering the breakfast room, and Hlin nodded, "I know. But she does not make them every day, not for me."

And as Asrior sat at the table, she saw that it was once again filled with many of the things she most enjoyed—the sweet, nut-covered rolls she so often inhaled and stewed peaches and sugary porridge. There were boiled eggs, too, and plain rolls, and a huge chunk of roasted meat on a bone, standard items when they ate in their first meal of the day. But cook had not made sausages or the savory stewed potatoes that Hlin usually enjoyed.

He was frowning and began serving himself boiled eggs.

"Did you do something to anger cook?" she asked softly, and Hlin shook his head, muttering, "I don't think it has anything to do with me."

Just then Saldis came bustling into the room, saying, "Oh! I didn't realize you were in so soon, my lady. I will get your tea."

And as she bustled back out, Asrior looked at Hlin and hissed, "What do you mean?"

He sat down with a thump. "I mean, if you eat something lately, then the next day, cook seems to make more of it."

"That's not true…" she said, pulling the peaches toward her plate. "It's just… well, I imagine that the kitchen has a large supply of peaches and those that aren't stored must be used quickly."

Hlin snorted.

"It cannot have anything to do with me," Asrior insisted, actually laughing. "In case you have forgotten, I am loathed by practically everyone in Ringsfjord. Those that do not hate me merely tolerate my presence."

"I don't think that's true," he muttered, hacking at a piece of meat on his plate. "Just the other day…"

But he stopped when Saldis came into the room; and she placed the steaming kettle at Asrior's side and said, "Your tea, my lady."

The woman went to leave, and Hlin coughed loudly. "If it would not be any trouble, I would dearly love some cider, Saldis," he said.

She nodded, "I'll send a servant in directly."

And when she left, he gave Asrior with a knowing look.

"What?" She shook her head. "You cannot think…"

"Look, she brings your food and drink in personally. She makes sure you have what you like…and as I was about to say, just the other day I overheard her taking Emil to task for his attitude toward you."

"She did not," Asrior protested, shocked at the idea of such happening. "You are working too hard if you are imagining such things."

"No, I'm not working too hard," he said thickly, for his mouth was full. Then he grimaced, "Actually, I am working much too hard, but that is beside the point. Just tell remember to mention that you wish we had sausages when Saldis comes back in to check on you."

"You are insane," she muttered, pushing the peaches around on her plate.

"Sausages," he reminded her, then stopped speaking when footsteps echoes in the hall.

Loki strode in, and Asrior bit back a sigh, for a storm seemed to have settled over his face. Hlin noticed it as well, for his, "Good morning," was subdued.

"No, it is not a good morning," Loki grunted, pulling a chair back with viciously and throwing himself into it. "Where's the damn tea?"

Asrior hastily pushed it toward him, and was about to dare to ask about his mood, when she heard voices in the hallway; and then she knew what so displeased him, for Tony Stark was walking in the door, his eyes dancing.

"Felicitations, my good people," he was saying, looking positively merry. "I take it Thor neglected to send word that we were returning?"

"We?" Hlin asked, looking at the door, and Asrior looked as well, smiling widely.

"Bruce is here?"

"Yes, Bruce is here," Stark said, and when he moved past Loki, he slapped him on the shoulder. And ignoring the scowl the god sent him, he sat down, and with an air of benevolence, said, "_And_, we come bearing gifts."

Loki put his face in his hand.

Bruce walked into the room then, a basket in his hand…one that was making a frightful noise.

"What in Odin's name is that?" Hlin asked, looking almost scared at the muffled screech that emanated from the basket as Bruce sat down next to Asrior. "It sounds like a Bilge Snipe."

"It's not a Bilge Snipe," Loki bit out from behind his hand, and he slowly lowered it, watching as Bruce handed Asrior the basket.

She took it, eyeing it warily, and tried to ignore the scathing look her husband was sending her; and when she slowly lifted the lid, the sound stopped, and Asrior's eyes grew round at the sight of orange fuzz inside.

"What is it?" she asked, smiling despite herself, for the creature's little face was unbearably sweet.

"It's a kitten," Bruce said, grinning. "An infant cat."

Remembering his comment about cats and her husband, Asrior snorted, and said, "It does not look difficult to control."

"Give it time," Bruce advised.

Hlin was curious, asking to see it, and Stark began suggesting names to give the creature.

But Loki, looking more annoyed than he had all week, pushed back from the table and gritted, "I'm not eating. Be outside in an hour, wife. Just because they are back does not mean you will get a respite from your duties."

As he turned to stalk from the room, Tony called out, "Remember what I was just saying about your magic and our technology, and how I think we can…"

Loki didn't acknowledge him, leaving the room without looking back, and Bruce looked at the other Midgardian and said, "I told you we should have asked Thor to send a message that we were coming."

"And I told you it was more fun this way," Stark said, looking around the table. "Now…where's the coffee?"

* * *

**And now for comments:**

**NoVacancyMind**-I do plan on finishing this! Please don't cry, but thank you for being happy and for the really nice comments. I hope you enjoyed this update and that it remains a favorite!

**Candy Fl****aps**-Loki didn't know the exact size of clothes, he just said, "she's small for an adult" and got clothes that were reasonable fits. But he does know her stature because he's very aware of her, despite his great reluctance to admit as much. We'll find out more later about her mother, and yes, Asropr IS brave to have helped the ponies despite her fears-there's more to that in later chapters. she cannot look the other way when someone or some creature is hurt...that will become apparent as well. :)

**London calling**-OH, London is calling me lately, but it will be a long time before I can go there. I'm glad you liked the last update and the clothes are nice, even if Loki would never ever admit that he bought them for any positive reason, lol. I hope you enjoyed this latest update, and thanks for your review, I really do appreciate it.

**Guest 1**-rude awakening is coming up soon. Loki is already learning to step things back a notch (notice that he very much enjoys adoration *if he thinks he has earned it* but has come to dislike false emotions...he is learning a lot about compassion for others, but in his own time.

**BlooAngels**-Thank you so much for the review, and thanks for following this whole time. There is so much I'd like to say but...just know that YES, Loki is acting with extreme prejudice. You may have noticed that no one realizes yet that Asrior was born on Asgard and lived there during her first years-and the sad thing is, if they knew, they would look at her *very* differently (and they will face these prejudices when they find out). Loki and others tend to judge people very quickly-of you're on Asgard, you're 'good' and if you're of Jotenheim you're 'bad' etc. And the reality is, there are good and bad in every realm. Yes, there is more good than bad on Asgard, but no one...no one there ever bothered to think about Asrior's circumstances (though some *will* start to think about that soon...and are already facing certain truths). And because she was treated with such immediate and unthinking disdain by Asgardians, Asrior meant what she said to Hlin...she resents them as much as they resent her and the dark elf race. And so much more can be said about this, but just know that Loki is being driven by the same prejudices that many in Asgard hold. And those on other realms are just as prejudiced. I hope I can get that across when its time for certain people to confront those kind of feelings :)...but it's there, and it's why at this time, Loki and Asrior at at extreme odds with the other. LOL, that was long winded. One more thing, the bloody evidence makes an appearance later, which is all that I wll say. OH, and she's not pregnant...Loki made sure of that (it just didn't manage to come up in previous updates), and any hunger on her part in this chapter was driven my a normal appetite :D.

**Sephe**-Another profound thanks for your review, and I am beyond thrilled that you read it all in one sitting. I have a huge soft spot for Asrior, though I sometimes long to shake her (and Loki!), but if they easily resolved their differences, the story would be five chapters long :P. As far as who sees her scars and how it happens...oh, erm, I sincerely hope you will think it's *right*. But Loki will deserve...if not being the first to see her, he *will* deserve good things because he...well, I can say he puts her before his own comfort at one point, and that's all I'll say about that for now. And Asrior is already allowing little parts of herself to come out, and later she will feel free to be herself...and you might like the results (as a certain god of asgard might). Thanks again for commenting. I hope you liked this update!

**sidlewild**-patience, grasshopper. Patience. All will be known soon. And I have to say that there's few words better to a fanfic writer than 'you made this mess, fix it!' :D

**HarryPotterFreakie**-yes, I like cliffies. expect more!

**Guest 2**-Do not be so sure Saldis won't do anything once she understands that Asrior is as much a victim of Valtur as the others. And

's back really soon, as you can see. And Cap will make an appearance later, in New York at Stark Tower, and that's all I'm going to say about that now!

**Zippythesondersquirrel**-LOL, Loki enjoys backless dresses, but he thinks his wife should be a bit more modest...at least when visiting the people he rules. And maybe he understands that his wife isn't a showy person. Hogun is much smarter than Asrior thinks Loki is (hehehe). And did you say kitten? :D  
Thanks for commenting. I really appreciate it!

**Shelly**-thanks for the review, and you've had a chance to see how everyone reacted to Asrior's visit! There's a bit more to see from Hogun's viewpoint, but he wasn't pleased at first. You might be surprised what happens next! Enjoy Loki's frustration, for it doesn't get better for a while. And you are right, you see this update that Saldis put one and one together and is seeing that Asrior needs compassion, not hate. Thanks again, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**SissyPerigrin**-updated! Hope that was quick enough!

**CeliaSingsSongs**-what I just said to Sissy...updated! thanks to both of you for the prodding, and I hope it was worth the wait!

**SissyPerigrin 3/29/13 . chapter 10**


	12. Chapter 11-Undaunted

A/N-As always, thanks so much to my readers and reviewers and followers! This took longer to get out, because there was a lot of talking about stuff that didn't need talking about and people didn't want to cooperate. So I truncated a few things and this is the result. The last few chapters, things needed to get done and said that were important to the plot but not necessarily hugely thrilling. The good news, now that the pieces are moving into place...you'll see.

As always, I'll go back and reread in a bit to catch anything missed during the editing process (and as Willie Stark says, there's always something). I'll add comments at the end, too.

I hope you enjoy this!

O/Cs are mine, all else Marvel's.

* * *

**Chapter 11-Undaunted**

She was dreaming again, but it was not a nightmare this time. Instead, she was sitting in the back of the pony cart with Bruce while Tony walked behind them—he was carrying a large basket that was empty, and was saying, "Someone stole the sweet rolls. See? They're all gone."

"They were just there. Look again."

The voice that spoke behind her sounded so much like Loki that Asrior turned to look, only it was Hlin at the front of the cart driving the ponies. He was dressed in gold and green armor and was wearing great horned helmet, and when he turned to meet her gaze, he repeated, "Look again."

So she looked at Tony, who looked inside the basket and said, "Huh. Look at that. It's full now."

But it was full of snakes, squirming and spilling over the side, and Asrior realized that it wasn't Bruce beside her, but a woman…a woman who was saying, "My lady… My lady, you must wake."

The dream was so vivid that when Asrior jerked up, she looked around to see where Tony was with his basket of serpents; but instead of the Midgardian, it was Saldis that stood just inside the door to her workroom.

"You have fallen asleep at your desk again."

Asrior blinked and pushed her hair from her eyes with one hand. Her other arm was numb, for she used it to pillow her head as she slept. It was warm and tingling, and something along it wriggled—and for a horrifying moment, she imagined a snake had somehow gotten inside of her sleeve.

But a small head covered in orange fur pushed out where the sleeve of her gown fell open at her wrist, and pale yellow-green eyes blinked back at her.

In the handful of days since he'd arrived at Okershall, the kitten Bruce had given her had shown a marked preference for being warm; and that often meant secreting itself in Asrior's clothing, especially when she slept. She'd carried the kitten up into her bed his first night at the castle, and he'd settled into the crook of her neck and began purring. The sound was comforting, and it had almost lulled her to sleep when it stopped and the creature began moving…sliding under her gown and down so that he was settled at her waist.

She'd sat up, afraid she would roll over and crush him if they both slept that way and after several minutes, managed to extract him from his hiding spot. Only as soon as she lay back down, he was under the bedcovers and then under her skirt and settled by a leg.

The battle of wills continued for another hour, but in the end, the animal won. Asrior finally fell asleep, exhausted, while the kitten curled under her night gown and next to her waist once more; and though she was terrified she would wake to find it dead, he somehow managed to survive the first night and those that followed.

And now, the kitten pushed himself fully from Asrior's dress and jumped from the workbench, a move which had Saldis shoving the door shut with her foot and bending to catch the animal as it sprinted for freedom—for as focused as he was on hiding in clothing, he also had a most unfortunate partiality for the spinning, silver objects in Loki's work room.

"I've got him, my lady," Saldis was saying, scooping him up and thrusting him toward Asrior. "Master Loki said if he caught him in his rooms` again, he'd turn him into a footstool."

"He wouldn't dare," Asrior said, talking her pet and placing him in his basket; and she lowered the lid down, much to his loud displeasure. "If he did that, Tony would send a dozen more just to spite him."

"Yes, well…the castle might be overrun with footstools then." Saldis clasped her hands together and pursed her lips. "Speaking of Master Stark, he's…asking for you. But if you are tired, I will tell him that you have already retired for the evening."

The woman was giving her a look that was almost motherly; indeed, since that day when she'd woken Asrior in the bath and had seen her scars, she'd slowly shown more warmth, as though she had come to understand that she had suffered at Valtur's hand too.

Asrior had not believed Hlin at first, when he'd pointed out how Saldis made sure her favorite foods were served at breakfast. Thinking to prove him wrong, she'd mentioned how much she liked sausages that very morning, and to her surprise, they were served without fail at in the days after. Then she noticed that the evening meal often included a large variety of fruit, which Asrior ate in great quantities, and roasted game birds, another of her favorites.

And the wild flowers she picked on the hillside to put in her room were replaced when she was too busy to replenish them. Saldis had also begun to send up pots of steaming tea as dawn broke, when Asrior often woke to go work by the boulders.

She was not sure what to make of her actions; and she while she was positive that Saldis must had tried to tell someone of what she had seen, she did not know if the woman had approached Loki. More than anything, she wanted to ask her if she'd tried, and also to tell her how sorry she was that she'd lost her daughters. But the words would stick in her throat when she thought of them…not from a curse, but from an overriding uncertainty as to whether Saldis was ready to talk about any of it.

So she shook her still-tingling arm, and after telling the kitten in its basket to hush, asked, "Did Tony say what he wanted?"

"No, he didn't. He snapped his fingers and ordered me to 'get the elf.' His words, my lady," Saldis murmured, and it looked very much like she wanted to roll her eyes.

Asrior bit back a smile and began gathering the papers on the desk into a neat pile. "I'll see what he wants before I head up for the night. It will probably take a while to get back to sleep in any case."

Saldis was opening the door again and nodding. "Of course. But if you need anything...a warm drink, perhaps…please let me know."

"Thank you." She did not smile, but the look she gave the other woman was grateful; and when Saldis returned her look with a kind one of her own, Asrior bit her lip for a second before asking, "Saldis...how long have you worked at Okershall?"

"All my life, my lady," she said proudly. "I was born in the royal city, but we journeyed here when I was a babe."

"And…how long… how long as Emil worked here?" Even though she knew that Saldis did not seem to like the keep master, she was still hesitant to talk about him.

Sniffing, Saldis said, "Not very long at all. He was sent here shortly after Thor took the throne of Asgard. We had been without a lord for a time and one of the regional governors suggested that Emil manage this estate until the new king decided what to do with it."

"And when the king gave rule of the lower countries over to Loki? What happened?" She asked, lifting the edge of the basket and finding the kitten's furry head, for his howling had increased.

"Master Loki was touring after his appointment as regent and visited Okershall during the journey. He decided to live here after that visit," Saldis explained. "We are not a royal seat, you see, for there is an official residence in Gaula. The castle passed into the royal family's hands when the last of the family that owned Okershall died."

"Why did he choose to stay here?"

Saldis paused, and it looked like she wanted to say something, but after a moment, she merely said, "I am not sure, ma'am, for he does not confide in me and it would be wrong to speculate."

It was clear that she thought he stayed for Vedis, and though she did not know if the goddess had been alive or dead when he made the decision, Hlin's words about her worth echoed in Asrior's mind; an uncomfortable knot settled in her stomach at the thought of Loki's regard for the other woman.

It wasn't right that she should feel so. Loki had tricked her. Everything she had thought him to be when she had agreed to marry him was a lie. He was not worth her thoughts much less her favor, so her instinctive feeling of hurt that at the knowledge that he held nothing but contempt for her was infuriating.

Pushing her irrational feelings to the side, Asrior nodded and tried not to frown. "And he decided to keep Emil on because he was already here in that position?"

"Yes, my lady. Perhaps he thought it easier for all if the day-to-day management of the estate stayed in the same hand as before." Saldis spoke with a straightforward tone, but she looked as though she'd eaten something sour.

"Thank you, Salids. This is very helpful."

The housekeeper looked curious and she made no move to exit the room.

So, feeling bolder, Arior said, "If I can ask one question that might sound odd..." The other woman nodded, and she continued, "If you were going to purchase fruit from the first harvest this year, how much would you have expected to pay for it?"

Saldis's eyebrows flew up at the question. "Forgive my impertinence, but why would you ask that?"

"Because..." she pointed to the page in the ledger she had been examining when she fell asleep, "This number seems out of place to me. I am not an expert in running an estate of this size, not by any means, but the woman I lived with before I came here…I assisted her with purchases. Her small stores of fruit cost much less than this per half bushel. I would expect a larger order to be even less. Wouldn't you get a discount for purchase of a larger quantity? Does it make a difference because we are in Ringsfjord?"

She pushed the paper forward so that the housekeeper could read it. As she looked at where Asrior pointed, Saldis trailed her own fingers down the column, and her lips grew thinner.

"Many of these prices are too high." She looked over at Asrior, and her face seemed to have more lines in it when she frowned. "Do you think he's being overcharged? Or…" The words stopped and her mouth gaped slightly as she realized what Asrior was thinking.

She wasn't ready to use the words 'stealing', not out loud, not yet—but Asrior nodded, her eyes somber. "I do not know what to do. I think…I think I should talk to Hlin. I do not think Loki even knows I have a copy of these records—and I am not exactly the person he would trust, in any case."

_Not when I am a thief myself_.

"Yes…yes, you should talk to Hlin. And I will, too," Saldis assured her, her face filled with concern. "I will be happy to help. Loki has been very good to the people here and it is not right to cheat him." She stood up straight and moved toward the door; but before she left, she turned, and as though some unknown force compelled her, she mumbled, "It is not right how you are treated, either, my lady. By everyone."

It was the first time she had alluded to what she had seen, and the look she gave Asrior made it suddenly very difficult speak.

So she whispered, "Thank you. Thank you, Saldis. And… I'm so sorry."

Saldis looked at her hands, which were knotted in her apron, and her voice was thick. "I know, ma'am. I know you are. I've seen how hard you work. I've seen the lists, how you try to make things right for those your father had hurt. I know."

And then she nodded briefly and fled out the door.

It took a moment for Asrior to move, but when she did, wondered how it could be that her heart was heavier and lighter all at once, and she tried very hard not to feel ungrateful. She should be happy that she had another person to call friend now. She had learned long ago that wishes were worth nothing. It was unwise to waste time yearning that more would learn the secrets that Saldis had learned.

So she shut the lid on the basket and told the kitten to cease his ensuing complaints; and picking him up along with the book she wanted to give Bruce, made her way to the room where the mortals most often worked.

Twenty minutes later, her pet was out of his basket and playing happily with the bottom of Stark's pant leg; and in between efforts to bat the animal away with his foot, he was subjecting Asrior to a number of uncomfortable procedures.

"Stop closing your eyes," he muttered, frowning.

"I will if you would cease shining that light in them," she snapped, not opening them. "I do not understand what you are doing."

"I…don't either," he admitted, and she heard him step away from her.

Asrior opened her eyes slowly, not trusting him to move the wretched light back toward her eyes as soon as he noticed, but Stark was standing to the side rubbing his chin with a hand.

"Maybe I should take your temperature again," he mumbled, pushing the kitten away with the side of his foot when it pounced.

"You've taken it three times," Bruce reminded him, looking up from the book that Asrior had just given him and watching as the kitten rolled to a stop and then launched himself toward the other man's shoe again.

"Yes, but…maybe this time it will be different."

"What are you expecting to find out?" Hlin asked, and he crumpled up piece of paper into a ball and rolled it to the floor, trying to distract the orange fur attached to Stark's leg.

"Why the test results are funky…maybe." And Stark dropped his hand and sighed. "Jarvis?"

"Yes sir."

It had taken time to become accustomed to the disembodied voice that answered to the Midgardian, and even now, Asrior sometimes had to stop herself from looking around to see who was speaking.

"Can you put that sample through another XRF test?"

"The test is running now sir. Though I must advise you that the results are likely to be the same as they were the last four times."

Ignoring the voice, Stark looked at Asrior, explaining, "You're not showing any reaction to lead at all."

"Well, I would be surprised if I did," she said, trying not to smile at his exasperation.

"Why?"

"Twice I have lived near iron mines with no ill effects." And when Stark looked as though he didn't quite understand, she said, "I was never physically uncomfortable, not as a babe and not when I was in Nidvallier before coming here. I am not full blood, and I do not have much magic in me, either. Iron is said to drain power, and perhaps that is what makes it painful for some dark elves. I have no power."

Bruce was closing the book, looking interested. "You don't…you can't perform magic?"

"I cannot be positive, for I wasn't allowed to study sorcery on Svartalfheim. But when I was at court…I found books in the library and tried a few simple spells. They did not work."

Hlin, who had sunk to the floor to roll the paper ball around, was looking up at her; but it was Tony who asked, "Is there a reason you weren't allowed to study it?"

She tried to say, _I am sure my father thought I would be more difficult to control if I learned magic_. But she sighed after a moment when the words did not come.

"I learned not to question my father's decisions."

Hlin was still staring at her, the paper ball unmoving beside him; and the kitten, annoyed at being ignored, ran for Stark's shoe again.

"So being half elf…" he began, dancing to avoid the animal, "…means you don't react the same as full blood?"

"I am less than half," she said, looking at him in surprise. "Valtur is half blood. His father was of Asgard."

There was a moment of stunned silence, and then Stark's frustrated, "And no one thought this was important enough to tell me? Details, people. I need details."

"You did not know?" Asrior asked, astonished.

Hlin had scrambled to his feet and was saying, "I did not know. I have never heard anything of the sort."

The muffled sound of boots echoed in the hall, and Asrior's back stiffened. Everyone fell silent, except for Stark, who looked around with concern. "Damn it. Somebody throw Simba in his basket before Loki freezes it in place again."

"His name is Ragnar the Undaunted," Asrior said with as much dignity as she could muster, and she watched as the kitten ran to hide under the table, as though he understood Stark's words. "Though he is a very practical creature, too."

Stark made a face, but didn't say anything, for Loki was pushing the door to the room open.

He offered no greeting, instead shoving it closed behind him and glaring at Hlin. "There you are. You are supposed to work for me, in case you forgot. And I happen to require your assistance now."

"Yeah, well, I require more information than you've been giving me," Stark bit out, stepping toward him and blocking Hlin from moving to the door. "Why are you holding out on me, Scar? I thought you wanted those weapons to work."

Loki's brow shot up and he bit out, "Explain yourself, mortal, before I…"

"Why didn't you think it necessary to tell me that the elf I've been using as a baseline to study their race is barely an elf!"

Bruce had closed the book and was standing, and even he sounded annoyed. "We didn't know that Valtur's father was an Asgardian."

By the look on Loki's face, he had not known either, and he whipped his head around to look at Asrior. "What kind of tales have you been telling them now?"

"I am not telling stories." She had been inching to the table to catch Ragnar, but stopped to glare at her husband. "Why do you think I look so little of Svartalfheim? Why do you think Valtur almost always wears that armor that covers so much of his face?"

"But he looks so much more like a dark elf than you do." Loki's eyes were narrowed, and his voice held a threat. "Who was his father then? And do not lie to me."

"I am not sure of his name," Asrior said, and she put her hands on her hips and scathed at him, "He was an Asgardian god who thought it such a wonderful joke to lie with an elf for sport that he spared no thought to the consequences. Does that remind you of anyone?"

She was probably lucky that the others were in the room, for Loki looked as though he could quite cheerfully kill her at that moment.

But he gritted his teeth instead and made a sound in his throat as though he were swallowing a curse. "I was not so careless as to leave you with child."

She could feel red flooding her face, and she saw that the others in the room suddenly seemed to find interest in their feet or the ceiling—everyone except Stark, who was looking from Loki to her with unabashed interest.

Scoffing, she turned on her heel and willed herself not to shout at him. "I am telling the truth. I do not know who Valtur's father is, but he was of Asgard. His mother was a member of the royal house of Svartalfheim. Thor's emissaries can make inquiries of Queen Alflyse, for it was common knowledge among dark elf lords."

Asrior expected him to argue more, but his answer surprised her. "Perhaps I will do that." His voice was silky as he added, "My brother happens to be visited Okershall within the week. So we will know soon enough if you are lying."

"Well, I'm not," she said stiffly, trying not to smirk when Ragnar chose that moment to spring from his hiding place and attack Loki's boot.

Loki jumped, as though the kitten had startled him, and Hlin moved swiftly, picking him the creature up and shoving him into his basket. And when he began to protest at his confinement again, her husband turned to glare at the sound.

"Here, give him to me," Asrior said, hastily taking the basket. "I think I should go now."

"If you value that thing's company, you will keep it away from me," Loki fumed, and he turned his icy green glare to Hlin. "And you…go to my offices and do not leave. I will be there in a moment."

"Yes, my lord," the boy said, dipping his head quickly.

After throwing a dark look at her husband, Asrior moved to follow Hlin from the room, and as she reached the door, Bruce caught her eye and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Thanks for the book," he said softly, so that only she could hear.

She simply nodded, for she could feel Loki's glare in her back; and she turned and went through the door, closing it with a resounding snap behind her.

….

Loki watched as the door closed behind his wife, and it wasn't until Stark said something that he turned.

"What was that?"

"I asked if you're sure she's an elf."

"Of course she's an elf," Banner said from his spot near the door, and he pushed his glasses up onto the top of his head. "You've seen her ears."

"No, actually, I haven't." Stark's eyes were narrowed. "I remember her father back at Thor's place. But she…Well, she looks _different_ now than she did there. Very different."

"If you are insinuating that I am playing some trick…" Loki began, his lips curling, but the Midgardian spoke over him.

"No, I'm not implying anything at all. I'm outright accusing you of it."

He could feel the little control he had on his temper slipping. "I fail to understand why you think I would claim such a union if it were not true. Or put someone in her stead…"

"Because you don't want what we're doing to work," Stark challenged, walking even closer to him. "The people in these parts already resent Thor's rule. You want that to feeling to fester, so you can take advantage of it. You want to lead a revolt."

"You dare accuse me…" Loki began to snarl, his fury almost taking over, while Stark was almost shouting, "Yes! You can bet that I dare."

But Banner's annoyingly calm voice cut through their argument.

"You can relax, Tony. Asrior's an elf. I've seen her ears."

The other man's anger dropped so quickly that Loki wondered if it had been an act.

"You did?" Stark whipped his head over to where Banner sat. "When?"

"She showed them to me not long after I first came here."

"But she never showed them to me." Stark looked almost envious.

"She wouldn't." The other man leaned against the wall and ruffled his hair as he tried to explain. "You remind her too much of… Well…"

Though he was still fuming over Stark's provocation, Loki realized that the other man was looking at _him_; Stark saw it as well, for he looked almost ill as he said, "You did not just say that."

Banner smirked. "I didn't have to say it. But you can be, well…autocratic. You kind of demand that people pay attention to you. And…don't look at me like that, it's true. And Asrior looks different because she is different. She's not with her father, so she's more relaxed, I suppose. She'd not… She not all wound up trying to control every little thing she does, and every day, she gets more..."

"Loose?" Stark inserted when the other man paused.

"Trust me. I _know _the kind of self-control I've seen in her," Banner said. "She hides her true feelings. She hides her ears deliberately. She doesn't like people staring at them. It's…a private thing for her."

"But she let you see them," Stark said, smirking.

Annoyed at his suggestive tone and at the fact that the other Midgardian presumed so much about his wife, Loki snapped, "That's ridiculous. Everyone knows she's a damned elf, so why the need to be so secretive about them?"

"Maybe because of the whole damned part," Banner said, pushing up from the wall, and he was beginning to tense up as though his own control was faltering. "Maybe she doesn't like people judging her because of them. Maybe she doesn't like the fact she's part elf."

Loki sneered. "So she makes up tales about her father's parentage?"

"No… No I think that part's true," Stark was saying, and wandered over to the table, a hand reaching distractedly for a bowl of nuts. "Or at least, she thinks it's true. And going by what my tests, she could very well be right."

"Well, we'll find out soon enough. As I said, Thor arrives in days," Loki said, and was reluctant to admit, "He was very interested to hear your theories in regards to dark elf power."

"Really?" Stark said, popping more food into his mouth, and as he did so, a voice said, "The XRF test is complete, sir, and the results, as predicted, are the same."

Through his chewing, he mumbled, "Run it again."

"Sir…"

"Just…" Stark waved his hand as though he were talking to person, "Just set the test to run on a loop and install an alarm to notify me if…" And he paused for a moment, a mad gleam entering his eyes. "I am a genius."

"Pardon me, sir, but did I hear you correctly? The XRF test does not analyze intelligence."

"No! I mean… never mind about the test for now." Stark abandoned the bowl of nuts and reached for a piece of paper. He began scribbling on it and muttering under his breath.

Banner walked toward the table. "What?"

"Oh…" Stark moved to his workstation and pulled up a schematic of the triggering mechanism he'd been laboring over. "I think…that I've been approaching this the wrong way."

"What do you mean?" Loki asked, curious despite himself.

"I mean…maybe we don't have to use these as a weapon. At least, not the way I thought at first." He turned to look at Loki. "You said you can sense when dark elves are near, correct?"

"I can feel their magic, yes. It's why they do not attack near here."

"What if…" And he moved back to the floating image above the console. "What if you didn't have to be here to sense them? What if you could use these to tell when they were near? Like an alarm."

Loki stared at him. "You mean, use these on the borders to warn the people there?"

"Well, there's that. But also…" Stark paused at looked at Loki. "You think Valtur will come for his daughter?"

"I know he will."

"Why hasn't he done so before?"

Shaking his head, Loki admitted, "I'm not sure. I thought at first that he had not heard of the marriage, but surely gossip would have made its way to those of Asgard who work with him by now. Perhaps he thinks her being near me is worth the risk if they can get the dwarf." He pursed his lips. "Or he is afraid to move just yet, for his queen probably keeps a close eye on him despite her disassembling to Thor. Alflyse is no fool."

"He could send others in his place," Stark pointed out. "But maybe it's you. Can dark elves feel your magic?"

"Yes," Loki said, his eyes narrowing as he caught on. "You think…you think that if I am not at Okershall, we can lure them here…"

"And we'll know where they are because of these." Stark was typing on his keyboard frantically. "If they don't need to be so strong as to drain dark elf power—which was what was overloading the trigger, by the way—then a smaller reaction, something undetectable by an actual elf, could set off an alarm. Of course, you'd need to figure out how to get back quickly when they attack, but…"

"No." Banner spit the word out. "You're letting him use Asrior as bait, Tony."

Stark paused briefly. "I'm sure we can think of a way to protect her."

"Why are you assuming she would be in danger?" Loki stared at the Midgardians. "The woman is more likely to let a whole army of dark elves into the castle than run from them."

"So would I if I was married to you," Stark said, but he was frowning at him. "But why are you be so sure who she'd side with?"

"She is Valtur's daughter," Loki said, gritting his teeth. "And she does not need protection. Rest assured, I don't need anything happening to her, and I doubt her own father wants to hurt her. She's just…"

"A pawn?" Banner's face twisted into an ugly kind of smile. "Something the two of you can use against the other in your private little game of one-upmanship?"

"If that's how you want to put it, then yes." Loki turned to sneer at him. "You mortals are so pathetic. So _weak_…"

"So very much here to help you," Stark pointed out from his computer. "She won't get hurt, Bruce. Here…come take a look at this."

Banner took a deep breath, as though containing his emotions, and he muttered "Let me see what you're doing." He put the book he held on the table as he spoke, and Loki's brow shot up when he saw the rich purple cover of the book he'd given Asrior. Banner, noticing, asked, "What?"

"Nothing," Loki shook his head, and tried to sound offhand. "I didn't know you were interested in animals."

"It was a gift," he said, turning to the other Midgardian.

"Yes," Loki gritted, annoyed at his sudden and nonsensical feeling of injury. He was surprised she hadn't burnt the thing along with her clothes, but the knowledge that she'd given the book to the monster, of all mortals, needled him.

Stark was looking over his shoulder, saying, "Hey… Give us tonight to work on this. We'll catch up tomorrow."

"Very well." Loki turned to the door and snarled, "And it had better work this time."

….

"What have you tied Tony and Bruce up with? They've hardly taken the time to eat," Hlin said from his spot by the window of Loki's work room. He was staring at the two men, who were at the foot of the long hill conducting new tests on the devices they'd built the night before.

Loki didn't look up from the ledger he was studying. "Are you trying to distract me?" he asked instead of answering the question.

"Of course not." The boy sounded cross. "I was just wondering."

He was lying, but Loki let it go for a moment, for what he was looking at was damning and confirming the truth of it took precedence over Hlin's moody deceit.

"What made you take such a close look at Okershall's finances?"

"You're the one who told me I had to start doing more around here. And Saldis saw how much Emil is paying for certain things and knew it was too much." Hlin was looking at him again, and he looked overly earnest. "When I wasn't busy building that damned wall, I made copies of the books and found all of that."

Loki leaned back in his chair and tapped his desk with his fingers, watching the boy through lowered lids. "Just as you took the time to interrogate my wife as to exactly whose jewelry she stole? You have given me so much interesting information today."

Hlin nodded, his face so free of guile that he looked like one of those disgusting cherubs the mortals liked to paint. "Yes. Again, you said I should…"

Raising a hand to stop the untruths, Loki muttered, "Stop. Just ask Saldis to come in here. These are very serious allegations you've brought to my attention, and I'd like to hear from her."

"I thought you might," the boy said, turning to the door. "I asked her to wait outside."

And another minute later, his housekeeper was standing in front of the desk, her face as sickly genuine as Hlin's had been.

"I don't want to get Emil in trouble, sir," she was saying as she clasped her work-roughened hands in front of her apron. "But you have been very good to us here, and you have been a good ruler to Ringsfjord. It is not right if you are cheated, I was just saying as much to…"

She paused, her face twitching.

"Yes?" Loki's voice was soft as silk.

"I was telling Hlin, sir, when I mentioned what I'd learned to him."

Now she was lying as well.

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Did the lady Asrior have anything to do with…this discovery?"

"Oh no, my lord," Saldis assured him, her tone so vehement that it was comical.

"I'm very glad to hear that." His eyes slid to Hlin, who was staring at his boots. "Otherwise I would have to wonder why in Hel she had access to information such as this."

"But all of that is evidence,"Hlin said, pointing to the ledger and ignoring what Loki had just said. "It proves that Emil has been stealing from the estate. For quite a long time, too."

"Yes." Loki pushed the papers away. "Why are you lying, the both of you?"

Hlin tried to look outraged and said, "We are not lying! Emil is stealing…it is all right there."

"You know what I mean," Loki said, quickly losing his patience, and he barked, "What did Asrior have to do with this?"

When the boy opened his mouth to argue, Saldis threw him a quelling look and said, "I'm sorry for the deception, sir." And she gave a quick curtsey, her face a mixture of misery and fear. "The mistress did not think that she should be the one to tell you. We thought it best if Hlin and I approached you about Emil's…work here."

"Hlin?" Loki prodded, his voice sharp. "How did she know?"

The boy gave him a resentful look, but gruffly admitted, "When we were trying to list the jewelry's owners, she asked for an inventory of what was recovered from her trunks when she first arrived here. I made copies for her, but I made some of the household accounts too, by mistake. She saw that the charges for the fruit were too high and said that Saldis and I should take a look at the rest of the ledgers."

He was not sure if Hlin was still telling the entire truth. "And why would my wife be so concerned that Emil is stealing?

His attention was drawn back to Saldis, who was twisting her hands and looking at him as though she were afraid.

"Yes," he prodded, trying as best as he could to look amicable. "You can speak."

"Sir," She took a breath, as though steeling herself. "I have debated mentioning this to you, but..." She took a deep breath and then…

And she stopped, looking surprised.

"What?" He asked slowly, the back of his neck suddenly tingling.

"I… I know…" Her mouth snapped shut after a moment, and she looked frustrated.

"What is it?" His temper, already simmering, began to seep through the cracks in his control; and then everything seemed to freeze, for he realized that he could feel something on her that was like…

Magic.

The woman had worked for him since his first arrival at Okershall, and in those years, he had never felt magic in her. Saldis's talents lay in managing the castle's staff, and if he had not been so preoccupied when she first approached entered the room, he would have sensed the difference immediately.

And then, as though the words burst from her, Saldis said, "I think she wants to help!"

Hlin was giving her an odd look, but Loki's eyes narrowed as the knowledge that his housekeeper was cursed sank into him. And taking control of his growing rage, he managed, "Thank you, Saldis. You may go now."

"I meant what I said about her," was her surprising reply, and she dipped into a curtsey and said, "Thank you, my lord."

Loki watched her go, fuming in silence. The elf was up to something—looking at the ledgers, and then placing a curse on his housekeeper. Trying to get him to bring the dwarf to Okershall. He just did not know what game she played, not yet

And determined to find out exactly what she was doing, Loki came to a decision. Stark had told him that morning that the devices were ready to use as alarms. They had enough to cover a portion of the lands around Okershall, and could quickly make more; and they would talk to Thor and ask him to enlist Heimdal to watch the alarms when Loki left…

And despite Banner's objections, he would use the elf as bait, and when Valtur came to get her, he'd be ready.

"Hlin..."

"Yes, my lord?" He tore his eyes from the door that Saldis had just exited.

"Thor arrives soon, so our time will be very precious. And once I'm done with Emil, you'll have even more to do."

"Yes, I understand," Hlin answered, confused. "But what…"

"I want you to tell Asrior that I am extending the range of her movements alone. She will be allowed to go into the village and first few farms by herself. I will be too busy to escort her, but our business there cannot stop."

"You're letting…you're letting her off the castle's property?"

Loki's face showed none of the chaos swirling in his mind. "If she requires the cart and cannot drive it, have Ulvgeir go with her. But she is capable of walking to some of the farms and the village—she can take the paths through the forest."

Hlin looked shocked. "You'll let her go there?"

"Hogun will not harm her," Loki said, his hand moving to the small silver dagger that sat on his desk. And as he picked it up and rolled it in his fingers, he added, "I will speak to him about it immediately, but so long as she stays away from his cottage, he should not interfere with her progress through the woods. For the time being, she will be on her own."

"If you are sure," Hlin said, looking at him carefully.

"Show her though the paths through the forest today. There's not time to waste," Loki said, standing as though to dismiss him.

Hlin didn't say anything, merely bowing his head, but the look he gave him before he turned to leave the room spoke volumes—for it was his turn to understand that the other was lying.

….

Asrior enjoyed walking through the forest; though she somehow thought she should be frightened or intimidated being in the place that belonged to Hogun, she found solace there. The woods were calming and full of life—it was overflowing with ferns and mosses, tall grass and greater trees…and rabbits and toads and a host of other moving creatures.

But the bird she had just come across, an infant fallen from its nest, would not live if she did not help it.

Bending so that she could look closer look, she saw that it did not look hurt. It was hopping on its little feet, its warble shrill, for it thought her a predator; and she could hear a bird in the tree above answering, calling down a warning at her not to hurt it. The bird's mother, no doubt.

It was a golden reedling, and its mother would not help it. The book of Asgardian Creatures Loki had given her had been clear on the subject—the rare songbirds were so frightened of contact with legged animals that they did not venture to the ground purposely, and while the mother might try to scare predators away by chirping at them, but she would not venture down to help. These birds, when they fell from their nests, were left to die.

Biting her lips, Asrior stared at the tiny creature. She could not leave it, not now, knowing that it would not survive. It was unthinkable.

But she did not know how to care for it either, for while the book had described the creatures and their habits, it did not include information on rearing one of their infants.

Loki's library might contain such information, but he was in such a foul mood in the past few days that everyone was avoiding him—and he had taken to staying in that very room, surrounded by his books as he searched for something.

Making up her mind, Asrior reached into the bag she carried and found a napkin that covered a piece of bread; and carefully picking the bird up, she swaddled it in the cloth and began walking with determination along a nearby path, the one that led to Hogun's cottage.

He was not at home—she'd seen him entering the village just as she'd left shortly before she'd found the bird. Indeed, she'd paid only a quick visit, for the miller had warned that a young girl had been injured when she'd tried to help her mother cook, and the warrior-turned-healer was riding in to bring herbs to quicken the burn's healing.

But though she knew he was not at home, it did not stop her heart from hammering as she approached the glade in which he lived.

She could hear it before she saw cottage—the bleating of the goat and sounds of the chickens chasing each other around the pen; but the small house itself was dark and quiet, and there was no sight or sound of the ponies.

Her feet flew along the path and up to the cottage, and with as much care as her shaking arms would allow, Asrior placed the creature on the tiny stone stoop that jutted out from the cottage's door. And after a soft wish of luck for the bird's survival, she turned and fled, going back the way she'd come.

Asrior ran the entire way from the woods and halfway up the hill toward Okershall, stopping only when it felt as though her lungs would burst from the effort; and she walked the rest of the way back to the castle, a curious sense of triumph taking over as she realized that she'd been successful in leaving the bird at Hogun's without being seen.

And as she walked toward the rear of the castle, heading toward her greenhouse, she began to laugh.

It was soft at first, and then grew, and was so loud that as she came to the path below the keep's outer curtain wall, she clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound.

Someone must have heard her, though, for there was movement along the top of the great stone barrier. Asrior's head tilted up automatically as she tried to see who she'd disturbed. But all she could see was rock, and she thought that perhaps her mouth opened in surprise, for the stones in the wall seemed to be growing larger, as though they were falling.

And before she could fully register that a portion of the wall had collapsed and was crumbling toward the ground, everything went black.

* * *

**And now, to answer comments!**

**Zippythewondersquirrel**-no, not Bruce. But don't think Tony didn't suggest it...multiple times! Thanks for reviewing!

**MissCaityGrace**-thanks for the very nice words! I hope you liked this chapter. Things are moving now..

**CallMeKia**-thanks very much, you have no idea how much I like knowing someone *wants* to read what I write, lol. We'll see Kagog, but it might be a little while longer, just a fair warning. But when he *does* show up, I think his scenes are just...well, I like him a lot, and it will be interesting to see him with Loki, no? I hope you enjoyed this update, and get better! And it's better to have strong pain pills than none...*relives bad night in the hospital a few years ago*

**Sephe**-Thanks so much! Heee, oh, conflict. Expect a little more just yet. And maybe even after :0. I hope you liked this update. More broody Loki, more of everyone and a kitten! And things are changing indeed...

**NoVacancyMind**-don't cr...No, actually CRY! cry a lot! I love that! lol Thanks for the review, and I'm *really* glad you liked it. And I hope you liked the kitten this time around!

**FatOldSun**-Thanks for the review! I hope you liked this update, especially more kitten!

**Crede Biron**-yes, a kitten! OH, you have no idea... Thanks for the review, and I hope you liked this chapter. How do you think Hogun will react to finding injured animals on his doorstep?

**kateskates24**-thanks so much! I hope you liked this chapter too :)

**vykrothe**-do you have any idea how much your review made me laugh? OH yeah...consider it fed, lol. Thanks for the review, and I hope this update was worth the wait!

**HarryPotterFreakie**-yes, they're back! And with a cat, :D. You can see how Loki has reacted to the cat. Oh, the cat oh the cat oh the cat. Thanks for the review! I hope you liked Ragnar in this update.

**CeliaSingsSongs**-thanks for the very very very nice words. Yes, Asrior is making more friends, yay! But rocks are falling on her head, boo! Thanks for reviewing. Maybe there won't be so much of a wait for the next update.

**SissyPerigrin**-LOL, thanks! I hope that means you liked it!

**London calling**-thanks for the review! No, not peaches. She named the kitty after an old norse warrior who was very brave...a trait she admires. I hope you liked this update!

**Shelly**-you know, I liked the pony dig too ;). He is SUCH a toddler (but I'm biased, because I think most men can be that way). OH, you'll find out who has been watching her. And the kitten...well, it is driving Loki up the wall, but he WILL get to see a different side to his wife, very soon. And maybe a little furry animal (or animals) might be involved. Thanks for the review!

**candy flaps**-honestly, I think I write about food because I'm often hungry when I'm writing (when I first wake up usually). I suppose you'll know if I write when downing sangria, because Tony'll throw a cocktail party and mix drinks! :D Loki isn't going easy on anyone soon, but...well, maybe soon enough. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked this update!


	13. Chapter 12-Suspicions

A/N-As always, thanks for reading and following and for your nice comments!

I hope you enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think! It has a little something different in it today ;). And we are even closer now to the reveal.

I'll add comments at the end after a small break (so I can re-edit anything I missed).

Thanks again for reading!

OCs are mine, all else Marvel's.

* * *

**Chapter 12-Suspicions**

For the briefest of moments, Asrior thought she was by the lake again, waking from a rest under her tree.

For one thing, she was lying on the ground, and she could feel cool grass against her cheek. And a man's voice was telling her to wake up, and Loki had done that at times. But someone placed soothing fingers on her hair and stroked it back, and he had never done that, not even then when he had been pretending to be her friend. The fact that he decided to do so now was highly annoying.

So she hit at the person touching her, making contact with something solid, and mumbled, "Do not touch me, Loki."

"I am not my brother."

The voice shocked her into waking, and as she jerked her head toward the sound, she realized two things at once—she had just smacked Thor, King of Asgard, in the face, and she had a blinding headache on top of it.

"Oh…" She tried to sit up, horrified, but her head began to swim and she saw black spots in front of her eyes.

Thor moved his hand to her shoulder and held her down with extraordinary gentleness considering his size. "Don't move just yet," he said, sounding concerned. "A part of the wall collapsed, and you, unfortunately, were under it at the time."

"That would explain why I feel this way," she managed, and she put her own hand onto her head as though she could stop the horrible throbbing. It hurt a way that Valtur's dark magic had never done, and she was not quite sure how to manage the pain just yet. And then she felt something sticky in her hair and realized she was bleeding.

"You were quite lucky, though," Thor was saying, moving her hand so he could probe at her head again. "Most of the pieces missed you, though not all."

"Obviously." Her voice was frustratingly weak, and her leg was aching as well. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe slowly and evenly, tried to exert her will over the pain.

His hands were moving along her arms and then they pressed gently into her stomach before moving to her legs, and she jerked when one of them touched the spot where it ached.

"You hurt there? In addition to your head?" he asked, touching her leg, which was encased in the pants Loki had bought her. "Do you hurt anywhere else?"

"Mainly my head, and my leg," she whispered, and Thor put a large hand under her calf and lifted it so he could take off her boot.

He was trying to push the leg of her pants up to look at the damage, and sounds of voices could be heard over the hammering in her head. Then Hlin, sounding shocked, was asking, "What happened?"

"The top of the wall fell. I heard it when I was leading Eykr around to the stables. Apparently your mistress was walking along the wall when it happened." And he moved his hand and placed it on her head again. "I'll carry her into the palace. Does Hogun live near enough to come?"

"No!" Asrior's eyes shot open. "Not him! He will not want to help me."

Thor had his hand under her shoulders, and he gave her a quick glance. "He will help you because I order him to do so."

His other arm was under her knees and he began to lift her, standing and moving her head so that it rested against his shoulder. The movement only intensified the pain, but she forced herself to speak. "He was with a child in the village not long ago. He is already busy."

But Thor said, "Go and find him, and bring him here. Tell him that I sent you," and she heard Hlin's quick, "Yes, my lord."

He began walking with her, and despite the enormity of the pain, Asrior had an absurd desire to giggle, for there had been a time when the sight of the God of Thunder carrying her in such a manner would have sent her into a state of rapture; now, it was all she could do not to gag when he jostled her, and she shut her eyes tight and tried very hard not to vomit on the king.

She could hear people following them and murmuring, and then Bruce, breathless as though he had been running, asking, "What happened?"

"The lady Asrior has been injured…part of the curtain wall fell onto her. I've just sent Hlin to get help."

"Should you be moving her?" Bruce asked, worry lacing his voice. "If her back is injured, permanent damage…"

"You forget that she is not of your realm," Thor answered calmly. "Her injuries are not too severe for someone of Asgard, or Svartalfheim for that matter. I've seen warriors survive much worse in battle. But Hogun will check her, and he can give her something to speed her recovery."

"If you're sure…" Bruce sounded doubtful.

Asrior cracked an eye, and saw him walking with them, his face ashen.

"Where is Loki?" Thor asked, and he jostled her again; someone was opening a door to the palace, and he was ducking into a darkened hallway.

"He rode past the village to do something for Tony. Are you _sure _Asrior's ok?"

"I will be fine, Bruce," she whispered, and tried to turn her head to smile at him, but the sight of her seemed to reassure him little. She thought it might be the blood she could feel dripping down her neck that turned his face so pale.

Thor stopped, and Asrior could see that they were near the kitchen. Saldis came running over when she saw them, gasping, and more servants were hovering.

"Can you direct someone to where Loki is?" Thor asked, looking at Bruce.

It was only then that the others seemed to realize who was holding her, and they all fell into bows and curtseys so quickly that one of the maids almost tipped sideways.

"Yes, the place he went to is marked on a map," Bruce said. "It's in his office."

And Thor was looking at Saldis. "Find someone to ride out and send them to us for instructions. And have a maid bring what is needed to clean her wounds."

"Yes, my lord." And she turned and almost ran from the kitchen.

"Where can I take Asrior?"

"Loki's office will work," Bruce was saying. "It's got plenty of places where she can lie down."

They began walking again, and Asrior tried to push against Thor's chest. "No! You cannot take me there. Put me down, and I'll go to my chambers."

"No," Bruce answered for him.

She tried another tactic. "You do not need to fetch Loki. There is nothing he can do to help me, and his glaring at me as though this is somehow my fault will do little to improve my head." And when they ignored her, she tried again. "Put me down!"

"Are you this contrary with my brother?" Thor asked, and he continued to follow Bruce.

The hammering in her head had intensified when she pushed against him, so she stilled and allowed her eyes to drift shut again. "Oh, much more so," she croaked. "I vex him greatly."

They were at Loki's workroom, and as Thor followed Bruce inside, he chortled and said, "Good."

And then she was on a settee, a silk pillow under her head, and the pain there seemed to lessen. She began taking deep breaths again, and even her shin felt better, and opening her eyes, she saw Thor looking over at Loki's desk.

"Whatever is this?" he was asking, and then he laughed, and Bruce, who did not sound amused, tore his eyes from Asrior and said, "Damn it, I left the door open."

Her mouth opened in horror, for Ragnar the Undaunted was sitting on the desk with something silver in his mouth.

"He is rather small for a cat," Thor was saying, sounding puzzled. "And where are its wings?"

"It's a kitten, a baby," Bruce explained and tried to grab Ragnar when he jumped from the desk. "It doesn't have wings."

"Ah, it is from Midgard," Thor said, nodding. "I remember seeing some there. It looks very much like the creatures that some of the elves on Alfheim ride upon—but those have wings and are much larger."

Ragnar ran across the rug and jumped onto the settee, purring as he crawled onto Asrior's stomach.

"Tony and I brought it for Asrior," Bruce said as he walked over to them. "I should take him somewhere else."

"Leave it," Thor ordered. "The creature is harmless. And I would like to learn more about it."

Asrior tried to shake her head. "But Loki does not like him. Bruce gave me a book of the creatures in their realm. We can send someone to get it and you can look at it instead."

Servants were bustling in the room then, carrying towels and a pitcher with water, and as Bruce took everything, Thor spoke. "The creature will stay. And we must clean your wounds, and you must talk to me until Hogun arrives. You cannot fall asleep, even if you are tired, for it can make the cuts on your head more difficult to heal."

He took a towel that he dampened with the water, and knelt beside her, pushing her hair to the side.

"There is a lot of blood." Thor began wiping her head with the damp cloth. "But you can see that the wounds are already closing, if you are still concerned, Bruce. They will be healed soon."

Asrior tried to sit up, "Then I can just go to my chambers…"

Thor pushed her back into the pillow. "The loss of blood will still make you weak; you will stay here and talk to me."

And he gave her such a glorious smile that her breathing shifted for reasons that had nothing to do with the pain in her head. She remembered being a child and how she had felt seeing him for the first time, and she sank further into the settee and willed her cheeks not to flood with red.

"Alright," she muttered, and tried not to look at him. "But I warn you, Loki will not be happy that we are in here."

….

He was close to raging as he rode to the castle, and the sight that met his eyes when he drew around to the stable only served to anger him further.

Hogun. Hogun, of all people, was walking out the door near the kitchens.

A stable hand ran forward to take the reins from him as Loki swung from his horse, and when he turned to stalk over to the warrior, his eyes were blazing.

"What are you doing here? What has she done now?"

The other man looked at him with surprise. "She is hurt."

"Hurt?" Loki stared at him and tried to fathom the meaning of his words, for the boy that had found him outside of the village have given him a garbled message that made little sense. All he had managed to extract from the servant was that Asrior had done something that required his immediate attention. "What do you mean, hurt?"

"She was walking under the outer curtain wall when a portion of it collapsed, from what Thor said."

"Thor?" Loki asked, and then snapped his mouth shut, for he was beginning to sound addled.

"Your brother," Hogun reminded him, raising a brow. "He is recently arrived, and he ordered me to attend her wounds."

And for the first time, Loki noticed that while the warrior looked sullen, he was also subdued—a surprising fact given that he'd had to help Valtur's daughter, and something he could not define pricked at his gut.

"What..." he asked, the wrath that had consumed him swiftly fading. "What happened to her?"

"A portion of the wall hit her in the head and leg. I have attended to her, and I left Saldis with…"

Loki cut him off. "Where is she?" Several different scenarios flashed through his mind as Hogun's words began to register, but somehow it was difficult to believe what he was saying—he needed to see what had happened.

"Your workroom," Hogun said, tilting his head toward the castle, and then he added, "And do not be angry at your brother for bringing me here. He has a kingdom to consider, and Thor does not need her killed when she is under your protection. There has been enough loss in Asgard without starting another war."

He slung his satchel over a shoulder then, and there were smudges of brownish red on his shirtsleeve. Loki stared at the stains, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that that Asrior had actually bled. She was too… too forceful a presence for something as simple as a stone wall to harm her.

Hogun grunted, "Go on, then."

Loki nodded and turned without saying anything, too muddled for the moment to speak. He could not construct a coherent thought as he marched to the castle; and when he pushed through the door, he began to hurry to his workroom. His stomach had twisted itself into a knot, for she was probably lying inside, soaked with blood, and she would find some way to blame him for what had happened. And he could not imagine what Thor would say. It must have been horrific for him to dare send for Hogun, and his stomach clenched harder as he reached the doors to his workroom and pushed it open…

But the sight that met his eyes was not at all what he expected.

Asrior was sitting on one of his settees, propped up by a mountain of cushions, and she was _laughing_. Her vivid hair was flowing over her shoulders, which were wrapped in a shimmery blanket. He had expected her to be more injured, had expected her to be lying prostrate and lifeless, but the only hint of harm was the fact that one of her legs was stretched out on the sofa and supported up by even more cushions.

And she was surrounded by what looked like everyone in the castle, and they were laughing like fools, the lot of them. Banner was at the other end of the settee with a book open on his lap, and Thor was on a chair next to her. Stark was standing nearby, picking food from a tray that Saldis was trying to put down, and Hlin…he was kneeling in front of the group and pouring cream into a saucer.

None of them had even noticed his entry. They were all focused on Asrior, all too busy giggling like they were simple-minded cretins—a fact highlighted by Thor's booming laugh when Rangar the Offensive jumped from under his wife's blanket to dash toward the treat on the floor.

"What," Loki hissed, his anxiety turning into a mortified kind of fury, "is that unpleasant creature doing in here?"

Everyone turned to look at him then, and Asrior raised her brows and said, "I am not unpleasant."

"I am not talking about you." His breathing was hard to control. "You know damn well who I am…"

But Thor was laughing again, and she was giving his brother a mischievous look. "I told you he would be this way."

And Thor had the audacity to smile back at her. "I promise to listen to you more closely next time, my lady. Though it is my sincere hope that next time you give me advice, you are not so injured."

As Asrior listened to him, her eyes grew dewy and her mouth softened; and she looked so much like the infatuated cows that fawned over his brother at court that Loki snapped, "What injury? It is more like a celebration in here than sickroom."

It gave him no small degree of satisfaction to see the soppy look on his wife's face disappear even if the result was that she turned a frigid glare in his direction.

"Asrior had most grievous wounds to her head," Thor said, and there was a rebuke in his voice as he spoke to Loki. "We are lucky she is healing so quickly. She is only just now gaining her strength."

He noticed then that her hair was wet on one side, as though it had been washed, and he saw the damp and stained towels that sat on a table; and when Asrior shifted against the cushions, the blanket gaped open, and the little of her tunic that was visible was stained with blood.

Loki took a deep breath and tried to rein in his temper, for the others were staring at him. And it did not help when Stark looked over his shoulder, his mouth half-full of something as he said, "Hey, Caligula."

Ignoring the mortal, he looked at his brother instead. "I did not expect you here today."

"No, I arrived early," Thor admitted, and he reached down to pick up Rangar the Odious. "I hope it is not inopportune."

"You are always welcome here," Loki said, and moved to his desk, scowling as he noticed the mess on top of it.

"The newer addition of the castle reminds me of home. I should have visited before. It is quite beautiful," Thor was saying.

Loki merely shrugged before he answered, "Yes, it is. But the original castle seems to have caused problems today." And as he began straightening the items that the wretched cat had made a mess of, he looked at Hlin. "What part of the wall fell? The one that was just repaired? I am afraid that the boy that was sent to find me was able to tell me very little."

"It was the last section completed just yesterday…it probably had not fully set yet," Hlin said, moving over to the desk.

"Who oversaw the construction?"

"A man from the village—Tag Ormorson."

"I wish to talk with him immediately. You will need to ride out and bring him to me," Loki said, and when Hlin looked concerned, added, "I need to know why the wall fell. There's another section that needs repairing soon, and I need someone I can trust overseeing the project."

"Tag is a good builder," Hlin said stoutly. "You do not need to doubt his abilities."

"Yes, well, part of the wall still fell. After you have given Tag my message, go over to the Halfjornson farm and tell Hjorter to come here when he is able. The men who worked with him on the roof of their home were very impressed with his knowledge, and I would like him to look at the wall as well."

"Yes, sir."

As Hlin left, Loki looked at the scene on the settee. Now that he had taken some control over the situation, his mood had altered, though not enough to feel kindly toward the animal that was now crawling along the back of the settee to play with Asrior's hair.

Putting the last of the scattered instruments back into place, he moved to the others. Banner was showing Thor something in the book he held, and Stark, who had pulled a second chair over, glanced up at him and asked, "Did you finish…past the village?"

"Yes," Loki said, and when Thor gave them a curious look, he shook his head slightly. And then the kitten began clambering down from its perch, and he sighed. "Have care that the creature does not destroy anything while it is in here." And he frowned when Asrior gave him a resentful look, for he was being very magnanimous in allowing it to remain with her.

Saldis, who was sending a servant off with the stained towels, said, "You will need to get out of those clothes soon, my lady, if I am to get any of that blood out of your tunic."

Asrior looked down at the leg that rested on the pillows and her face looked sad, "I am afraid it is all ruined."

There was a jagged tear in her pants where someone had cut it so that they could look at the injury, and Saldis tutted. "I can get one of the maids to repair it, ma'am. We can at least try."

"If you think it's possible," Asrior said, and she pushed herself up to sitting and swung around so that both of her feet were on the floor. "And I should be able to walk now."

"Are you sure?" Banner asked, shutting the book and pushing his glasses onto his head.

She stood and tested the leg, which trembled slightly.

"You will need help," Saldis was saying, looking concerned, but Asrior shook her head and insisted, "No, I am fine."

And she took the blanket from her shoulders and handed it to Banner, who had also stood. Her face was calm and she sounded unaffected when she said, "I promise, this is nothing to me. I have been sitting long enough for Hogun's medicine to take effect, and all I really want to do now is clean myself off."

But when she began to move toward the door, Loki could see that her hands clenched at her sides, and it was as though she was concentrating very hard on breathing normally. The others didn't notice, though, for as she moved, she asked, "Can someone put Ragnar in his basket and bring him up to my chambers?"

Stark immediately stood and began calling to the animal, and Banner picked up his basket.

Loki moved to Asrior, and when she paused, he asked so that the others could not hear, "Are you sure you are able to walk to your chambers? If you are in pain, do not be stubborn and try to hide it. Someone can help you."

Despite his effort to be civil, she did not give him a mawkish look as she had done with Thor. Instead, her eyes narrowed and she said, "You do not have to pretend to be amicable."

"I am not pretending," he said, his voice growing tight. "Do you think I am glad to see you hurt?"

She considered him for a moment before she began to move again. "I am not sure. Perhaps if you were not so effective a liar, I might think differently."

And she continued to the door, her back as straight as a queen's and her steps slow and deliberate. She opened the door with a jerk, and her hair swung slightly, revealing the stains running down the back of the tunic, and the door closed with a loud snap as she left.

Loki suddenly wanted to hit something.

But Stark was wrangling Ragnar the Repulsive into his basket, and the cursed creature was howling so loudly it was hard to think.

And then Thor was at his side, a hand on his shoulder as he asked, "Today has been eventful! If it is always like this, I can see why you visit court so little."

He exhaled harshly before grumbling, "Let us go look at that wall."

Behind him the cat was screeching, and Saldis said, "Give the poor thing to me. I'll take him up." And then she tutted softly again. "Poor little thing."

Thor must have noticed the look of revulsion on his face, for he grinned. And then Stark was behind him, saying, "Are we going to tell Thor what we're doing now?"

"We can discuss our plans as we walk—I need to inspect the wall."

And so the Midgardians joined them as they walked through the castle, and Stark began to explain how they planned on using his devices. Loki walked just ahead of them as they exited onto the back grounds, ignoring much of what they said; he had little patience at the moment and needed time to settle his mood.

It was ridiculous, the effect his wife had on him. He already was prone to quicksilver changes in mood, but his erratic shifts in temper when near her were maddening. He hoped fervently that Thor did not order him to cease his plans to lure Valtur to Okershall, for he needed things settled and her away from him in quick order.

It was bad enough that Asrior was becoming too comfortable at the castle, if the scene in his workroom was any indication. His housekeeper had hovered over her like a mother hen, as had the mortals, and Hlin was entirely too taken with the orange ball of horror she called a pet.

But he…he was becoming used to her there. It was hard not to notice her, and he could not just blame the bright color of her hair. The longer she stayed at the castle, the more he noticed little things she did. She liked to put flowers everywhere, and she smiled more now, and when she was not being insolent or stubborn, her conversation was intelligent. She worked even harder than Hlin had said, and she noticed details about people that others missed. And those times when she had not sat for supper and he had been subjected to Emil's false flattery or Stark's attempts to nettle him or the monster's irritating calmness, he was acutely aware that she was not present.

All of that on top of the dreams…

He stopped, though, his thoughts fleeing, for he had walked around the corner of the path that led to the outer curtain wall, and he saw the rocks littering the ground.

They were everywhere, large grey slabs of stone, and it was hard to imagine that any living thing could be in the midst of that and survive. For all of her fierceness, Asrior was delicate. Her body could not withstand such punishment, surely…

Thor was beside him, looking up and saying, "That portion up there fell. See?"

But Loki continued to look at the damage on the ground. "How is it that Asrior was not more badly injured? She could have been killed."

"Yes. She was very lucky." His brother pointed to the far side of the rubble and began walking to it. "She was caught by a few of the stones on the other edge of the fall. If she had been a little slower, it would have missed her altogether. Any faster, and she would have been crushed."

Banner and Stark were there as well, both looking at the stones with shock.

Thor was looking at him. "But she is fine, or at least, not grievously injured. And we have things to plan. I will talk to Heimdal about watching for the alarms to go off if the elves attack; but I understand that you still need to plan on how to come back quickly when they arrive."

Loki tore his eyes away from the stone and forced himself to concentrate on his brother's words. "Yes," he said, nodding, "We have ideas in regards to that aspect."

"And the plan is to capture him, correct, brother? And as many of his men as we can. They must go on trial if we are to maintain relations with their queen. She will not condone us luring him here to kill him."

"Yes, that is the plan," he said, his eyes flashing. "Though I do not think it for the best."

"That is not your decision to make." Thor spoke like a king, but the look he gave to Loki was imploring. "We have had enough war."

Turning with an impatient sigh, he said, "I know." And then he asked, "Did they tell you what Asrior said about Valtur?"

"No. What is it?"

"She claims his father was from Asgard. That he rutted with an elf of royal blood and left her with child. It was one reason why the mortals were having difficulty with their work—they thought it was Asrior who was half blood."

Thor actually smiled. "Well, I have heard him called a bastard many times, but had not realized it was so accurate a description."

"Thor…" Loki began, and his brother held up a hand. "I had heard rumors from our court, long ago, of a warrior who tallied with an elf on a dare. But I took no notice back then. I will…find a way to make inquiries on Svartalfheim as to the truth of this."

Loki could see Hlin exiting the woods on his horse, another right behind him, and he said, "It looks as though the man who oversaw the work here has arrived. I need to talk to him."

"Be fair to him," Thor advised, turning to walk back to the castle. "Everyone makes mistakes."

Something on his face told Loki that he was thinking of the Perytons and the fog when they were children. "But not everyone admits to them," he said, smirking. "Even if they almost get someone killed."

Thor smiled, and turned to call to the others, saying, "Find us inside when you are done. There is still much work to do, according to Tony. We must be careful with our next steps."

….

"What's is this?"

Hlin was looking in a cage that sat on the long wooden table in the middle of Hogun's main room.

"A golden reedling." The warrior did not look up from the jar he was packing with medicine.

"It is quite rare to see these," Hlin breathed, looking at it with wonder. "Can it sing yet?"

"Some." Hogun still did not look up from his spot at the table. "It was taught some by its mother."

"I would like to hear it sing," he said, feeling wistful. "They sound so beautiful in the woods."

Hogun grunted.

"Where did you get it?"

He paused his movements briefly before saying, "It was on the ground." And then he began pushing a lid onto the jar. "You can take it for your own, if you'd like. I am weaning it from mush to seeds this week. You can have it then."

That surprised him, for the Hogun usually released wild animals he took in to heal. "You're not letting it go?"

"You cannot do so with this breed. It will venture to the ground now, for it is accustomed to it, and it will now know to look for predators. Within a week at the most, it would be dead."

The bird chose that moment to chirp—just a few notes, but the sounds were so sweet that Hlin stared at it with awe. "We cannot let this fellow die. It is much too beautiful."

Hogun was pushing the jar across the table toward him, but he did not take it. Instead, Hlin shifted from foot to foot, wondering how to approach the subject he wanted to broach.

"What?" Hogun asked.

Wishing silently for luck, he said in a rush, "That wall would not have fallen on its own."

Hogun frowned. "How do you know? You are an expert now?"

Standing up straighter, Hlin said, "When it comes to that wall, yes. I was there. I helped repair most of it. I have seen Tag's work before, he is too good to make a mistake that would cause such an accident. It would not have fallen down without help."

"You are trying to tell me that someone deliberately made the wall fall?" Hogun was looking at him as though he said something ludicrous.

Hlin jutted out his jaw and defended, "Yes, that is what I am saying. Someone did it to hurt Asrior."

The other man pushed back from the table, his face closing at the mention of her name. "Then tell Loki of your suspicions."

"I wanted to talk to you first." And when Hogun lifted a brow, he explained, "Believe it or not, you are easier to approach lately than Loki. I think having Tony and Bruce here upsets him greatly."

"And the elf," Hogun muttered darkly, turning to walk to a cabinet, jerking the door open and digging inside.

"I already tried to talk to him about her, but all he does is scowl and treat me as a child. He will not listen."

"You are a child," Hogun said, reaching further into the cabinet. "What do you know about the way of things?"

"I can see things, maybe better than you can," Hlin said hotly, crossing his arms and moving closer to him. "I… I am sorry for what happened to your family, Hogun, but I know that Asrior is not like her father. She does not hurt people. And I think… I think…"

"What?" Hogun threw a scowl over his shoulder. "Do you honestly think that I want to hear this?"

"I think you should listen! I know that she limps sometimes from an injury that did not heal." The warrior scoffed, but Hlin continued doggedly, "Asgardians heal. Dark elves heal. Already she is almost healed from the wall, but her leg was weak before. And the only wounds I have ever seen that did not fully heal were those caused by dark magic."

"So? She is Valtur's daughter. He is not called the Unmerciful for nothing."

"And that does not make a difference to you? You do not care if he used his magic against her?" Hlin asked, shocked.

Hogun turned to him, and his face twisted. "I do not want it to make a difference to me. And you forget that she has lived her life with Valtur with little harm compared to what he has done to others."

"I know how she reacted when she found out about your loss. I showed her the boulders…let her see Vedis's name and the baby's and everyone's, because I wanted to humiliate her. But she…" He paused, trying to articulate of what he had seen, finally finishing, "She ordered me to leave. I backtracked to see what she did after I left, and she…she did not react well. She was very _angry_ at her father, and that does not nearly explain it. She is not bad."

But Hogun turned back to the cabinet. "You should go."

He ignored him. "And she works there now, at the boulders. She has cleaned up the grounds and has put in plants for the spring. She started clearing the area very soon after I showed it to her."

The other man did not ask how Hlin knew this, instead spitting out, "Good for her."

"You have seen it too," Hlin persisted. "I know you visit the boulders. It is Asrior that has treated the land there so well."

Hogun swung around then, visibly upset. "What do you want me to say? So… very well, she is a nice elf who is sorry for what her father has done. Maybe she can talk to him about that when she is returned to him. But I do not want to know about that. Her feelings are not my concern."

"Well, I want to know, and I am concerned. She does not want to go back to Svartalfheim, and it will not be right if Loki makes her go." Hlin stalked to the table and reached for the jar of medicine, and his eyes were bitter. "I am lucky that I was not judged so harshly for the circumstances of my birth."

"You would have died had Loki left you," Hogun argued, his face growing red. "Has she tried to tell you the same would happen to her? Even after being at his side all as his honored daughter for all these years?"

Hlin snorted. "Never mind. You do not want to listen. " And he moved to the door, pausing with a hand on the knob. "I thought you might talk to Loki. If he would listen to anyone it would be you. But I will not bother you again."

But all week long, his thoughts nagged at him. Asrior seemed unaware of his suspicions and harbored none herself, for her mood was almost sunny so long as she kept out of Loki's way. She had healed very quickly, though she was not allowed to venture far from the castle until she had taken the entire course of medicine Hogun had prepared for her.

So she sat in the room where Tony and Bruce worked, playing with Ragnar and reading when she was finally allowed.

Loki stayed away from the Midgardians for the most part, burying himself in a pile of books in the library. Hlin saw him when he would go to find something new for Asrior, and by looking at the books that surrounded the god, he appeared to be researching a spell. But he would not say what he looked for. Indeed, the only time he spoke was to make biting comments about Hlin's eagerness to help out his wife.

And as he went out with Asrior for the first time in weeks, he was still unsure what to do.

"Tony and Bruce are leaving soon," he remarked as they walked into the clearing in the forest. "It will be quiet with them gone."

"Yes." And she gave him a smile that did not quite reach her eyes. "It is a good thing I am allowed out again, or I would be quite bored." She looked around the clearing. "Still, I am glad they are staying for Mabon. It sounds like fun."

Hlin pointed to a tree on the other side of the clearing. "There it is…the hoxivy. And Mabon is not nearly as fun as Vatrnaetr."

They began walking to the tree on which grew a dark red vine, and Asrior asked, "What is Vatrnaetr?"

He explained, "It marks the coming of the snows and the ascent of the hunt—people here depend on hunting for food more in the cold season than they do in summer."

"And what does one do during that celebration?"

"We light massive bonfires, and there is dancing and music. It goes on all night, and can get quite…rowdy sometimes." He smiled widely as he remembered. "They used to celebrate it on Midgard, when their ancient ones worshiped the warriors who saved them from the Jotuns as their gods. They said that Odin would ride his ghost wolves on a wild hunt that night."

They were under the tree then, and as Hlin reached for the vine they sought, Asrior's face changed. The amusement in her eyes faded, changed into something like wonder.

"But the Midgardians did not call them wolves," she said, the words drawn out slowly as though she were recalling a memory. "They thought they were animals from their realm. My mother told me when I was very small. I remember."

She looked up at him then, her eyes shining. "I remember a bonfire. When I was a girl, we celebrated with our neighbors. We sang a song about the Alfather's hunt and the hunts that would follow in our world."

And she began to hum, softly at first, and then with more assurance; and Hlin, forgetting entirely about the vine they were supposed to be gathering, stared at her with his mouth open.

"That is an old song from Gymirsgard. My father—the man who raised me was from there," he said softly when she finished the song. "You really did live on Asgard before."

"I told you that I did," she said, trying to sound cross, but the affect was ruined when she began to laugh. "I had forgotten about the song."

"Where…what village did you lived in?" he asked, and a feeling of excitement began to grow in him. "I visited there often with my father."

Asrior's smile faded though, and she shook her head. "I do not know. We lived near a town, but not in it. I described the place to Bruce in case he came across it when he collected iron samples before."

"And he did not find it?"

"No." She looked almost forlorn. "I wanted him to find out if anyone remembered my mother, or how she died. I thought someone might recall it still."

"What…what was the village like? Maybe I will know the place." He tried not to sound too assured, for he did not want to disappoint her if he could not help.

"There was red dirt," she said, and she too looked as though she were afraid to be optimistic. "The houses there had red clay tiles, and there one mine…on very large one near us."

There was more than one part of that country that had red dirt, but if there was one mine…

"It does not sound familiar," Hlin said, but reassured her, "But red dirt is not so common in Gymirsgard that we cannot find your village. I will talk to Bruce about it."

She smiled at him—not the gentle smile she gave more often now, but a wide and glowing one that lit up her entire being. And Hlin blinked at the sight of it and almost forgot what he was going to say next.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." And the smile faded slightly, and she looked at her hands before admitting, "I… I know you are loyal to Loki. And I appreciate how kind you have been to me."

Her words made him feel disgusted with himself, and he shook his head. "No. I was not always kind to you. Quite the opposite in fact."

"Yes, you were not at first." She distracted herself my moving closer to the tree and sliding her fingers along the vine. "As I said, you are loyal to your master. He has been very good to you, and…I can appreciate your sentiments in his regard, even if I do not feel the same."

His voice was gruff when he admitted, "I tried to tell him what I see in you. I told him that you care about the people here, that you do not enjoy seeing their hardships."

"He mentioned that to me," she said, her eyes still focused on the vine. "But I do not think he cares whether I do or not."

"He should." Hlin's voice grew harder, and suddenly angry for her, he asked, "What happened to your leg before?" And when she turned to look at him with surprise, he said, "I know that you have a weak leg. You have an injury that is not normal for one of your races. You try to hide it, but sometimes it shows. What happened?"

"I had… I was…" she began, then whispered, "There was an accident with a horse."

"That was not caused merely by a horse," he said, agitated at her reticence. "Asrior, a stone wall just fell into your leg, and it's already healed. What happened?"

She opened her mouth, as though she were trying to find words, and her eyes grew frustrated when she finally spit out, "I told you. Do you really need to know the details to understand?"

"No. No, I don't." His voice was calmer, but his chest had grown unbearably tight. "Just know that if Loki tries to send you to your father, I will help you if you do not wish to go."

Something like a spasm crossed her face, and it looked as though she almost wanted to cry. But no tears came, and her voice was so soft he almost could not hear as she said, "Thank you. I do not wish to go back to him."

He nodded, and for a moment they just looked at the other, a silent understanding growing between them; and then, because it was right that she should know, he said, "The wall did not fall by accident."

Her face went rigid. "What do you mean? Are you trying to tell me…"

"Someone tried to hurt you, yes," he said firmly. "I helped build the wall and it would not have fallen on its own. Tag said the same, and I know when Hjorter looks at it, he will agree."

"But…" she shook her head and a wry look crossed her face. "I would ask who would do such a thing, but I am aware that many here resent me."

"Yes, I have thought of that. But the servants at Okershall are almost all in Loki's debt. He has helped many of them, improved their lives very much…much as he saved mine. I cannot think of who would do anything to cause trouble for him."

"And my being hurt would cause him trouble?" she asked, sounding bitter.

"Yes." Hlin nodded. "It may be someone on staff who was close with Emil. I have tried to talk to Loki about this, but... he wants to know more about how the wall fell."

Asrior was looking at the vine again, saying, "Then we will see how it fell. And we should really start getting this, for Saldis will be upset if we are late."

She was trying to change the subject, and a feeling of annoyance pushed him to mutter, "No one will believe me. I am trying to help…"

"I believe you."

Her quiet words stopped his grumbling, and when he looked at her, she sighed and whispered reluctantly, "Sometimes someone watches me. I do not… I do not know how to describe it."

He gave her a reassuring look, "Go on."

"When I am walking through the woods. By the boulders. In the castle yard…I can feel their eyes. It is when I am alone, as though they spy on me. And things have been moved around in the greenhouse." She began to pull gently on the vine, tugging it from the tree. "I do…I do not like to admit it."

"Well…" he began to help her, his voice urgent, "We must think of what to do. Perhaps you should not go out alone, anymore."

A large portion of the vine began to slide down the bark, and when it hit the ground between them and he bent to gather it, she scoffed, "I cannot always be with someone. Especially now that Bruce and Tony are leaving."

Asrior moved to pull at another vine, and he looked up, saying, "We will think of something. I will talk to Saldis. Perhaps there is another servant we can trust who can go with you when I am not able to."

"We can try that." The other vine fell, and she began to roll it so that she could carry it. "I can always take Ragnar in his basket."

"You think his howling will scare everyone away?"

He was glad to see that she smiled at his jest.

"He can keep me company. Perhaps it is my imagination anyway."

"Maybe," he stood, looking doubtful, and he moved to helped her with the last of her vine. "But I will talk to Saldis anyway. And as there are more of these that grow down the hill from the kitchen garden, we can plot our moves as we walk over there. Let's go…and tell me more."

….

But she was alone the next time she ventured into the forest, this time for berries that Saldis wanted for Mabon, the small celebration that marked the end of the growing season. The housekeeper was in a near panic over the feast and decorations, for the king of Asgard was still in residence. And telling herself that she was being silly for being afraid, Asrior volunteered to find what she needed.

The men were too busy to help—whatever it was they were working on now, they were close to finding a solution, according to Bruce, and they wanted to finish by the holiday and leave the next day.

So she left Ragnar in her little workroom and, for the first time since arriving at Okershall, took the small iron knife she had fashioned when she fled from the city. And after she slipped out the back and ventured into the woods, she thought that perhaps she was being silly, for not once did she feel that eyes were watching her.

She slipped through the forest, her basket growing heavier with the bright yellow berries that Saldis wanted, for they were grew everywhere along the path that led to the village; but as she moved along the path, she saw a spot further in the trees where the bushes were so thick that there were more than enough to fill the basket entirely.

Asrior headed toward the spot, picking quickly when she got there; and her basket was much heavier when she stopped for a moment and set the basket down, bending and rubbing her lower back where it grew sore.

And it was as she bent down that she saw it—a small fox, lying on the ground, something metal clamped on its foot.

She thought it was dead at first, for the animal lay very still and made no sound; but after a second she noticed that it was still breathing, its small chest rising in small little quakes as it tried to draw in air.

Moving toward the animal, she reached for its foot, and it made no move when she touched it. A metal trap had caught the creature's hind leg, and when Asrior tried to open it, the fox gave out a weak and desperate whine and tried to move, to turn its head and attack her.

Asrior dropped her hand and looked around; the trap was held in the ground with a small spike, and she pulled at it, jerking it free of the dirt. And then she sat on the ground and dug into her pocket, pulling out her knife. She began hacking at her end of her skirt, trying to cut a piece large enough to wrap the fox in.

"Don't worry," she told the animal softly, concentrating on her work. "I'll have you to someone who can help very soon. And if I am to ruin another piece of clothing, at least it is not because I am felled by rocks."

When she had torn off a long length of the skirt, she dropped the knife and moved back to the fox, kneeling next to it and crooning that it should not be afraid. She wrapped its head first so that it could not bite her and then managed to wrap its body without it scratching at her; but the animal was too weak, and its attempts to break free were feeble.

It had stopped its cries, too, and half afraid that it was close to dying, Asrior rose to her feet and began running toward the path, and then to where Hogun's cottage sat. She slowed only when she neared it, for smoking rose from his chimney and his horse was in the pen. The goat was there, too, bleating, and one of the chickens was squawking at it.

Hoping that the animals would cover the sound of her own movements, she tiptoed to the cottage's door. She had to concentrate to control her breathing, for she wanted to gasp for air after her run. And her weak leg began to shake, tired from the effort to get there.

It was only after she reached the cottage and knelt to place the creature on the step that she wondered how long it would take Hogun to find it. If it weren't already dead, it needed immediate attention…

But the door swung open before she could move again, and the warrior's gruff voice barked, "What are you doing here?"

"The animal is hurt," she said in a rush, standing and taking one quick step back. "It was caught in a rabbit trap, and I thought you might take care of it."

He was glaring at her, and as he crossed his arms without looking down, said, "Animals die. It is the way of things."

"Not this one." Her chin tilted up. "I would like you to take care of it."

"You said you would not bother me again."

The warrior sounded so unhappy under his anger that she almost felt ashamed. But the fox suddenly gave a keening sound, and she made herself glare at him instead. "I lied. You are a comrade to Loki. You should not be shocked at such behavior."

His frown deepened, but to her surprise, he bent and picked up the animal. Looking at the little nose that poked through the cloth, he asked, "What is it?"

"A fox. I could not get the trap off."

His eyes were veiled as he looked at her, "I will help this time, but do not come back."

She nodded and turned, beginning to walk away. "Thank you for taking care of it."

Her weak leg was still tired from the running, and it was hard to move steadily; and he must have noticed, for behind her, he asked, "Why do you limp? Are you not healed yet?"

She looked over her shoulder. "I am fine."

"I should look at it if it still pains you."

He sounded reluctant and firm at the same time, and with a small sigh, she turned. "I said it was fine. I…fell from a horse once. Sometimes my leg bothers me. It is nothing."

And she turned away again and began walking down the path, trying even harder not to show how it ached.

After a moment, she head Hogun say something low and fierce behind her, but she did not look back. She kept walking, her breathing slowing down, along with the thump of her heart, and even her leg almost felt normal when she reached the clearing to collect her basket.

But it was not there.

Frowning, she turned, looking around, thinking that she had forgotten exactly where she had left it. There was no sign of it, though, nor could she find her knife. She kept turning and looking for the glint of iron on the grass when she felt it. The hairs on her neck began to rise, and the shivering feel spread through her entire body.

Someone was watching her.

Her stomach fell with sick, swooping feeling, and when a stick cracked to the side of her, she turned and ran.

She ran harder than she ever had before, running so hard she thought she might faint, and she did not slow down until she was halfway up the hill to the castle. Even then, she did not stop running, not fully, not until she was in her greenhouse, where she collapsed onto the stone floor, gasping for breath.

Someone had indeed been watching her. And they had followed her as she ran, for she had heard their steps behind her, and it was only when she cleared the woods that the sound ceased.

Then, with a grunt, she pushed herself up and moved quickly to the greenhouse's back door, for she had not locked it behind her; and shoving the rusted bolt shut, she leaned back against the door.

Her breathing had slowed, but her heart was still racing; and after closing her eyes for a minute and finding Birgitta, asking her for courage, she stood and went in search of Hlin.

She would need to find a new weapon to carry with her—and she would not be alone again.

* * *

**And now for comments:**

**CeliaSingsSongs**-I hope that update was quick enough! It was fairly easy to write…things have mostly been set up, so things just flow. The problem was lack of time…ugh...thanks for the review and I hope you liked this one!

**Vykrothe**-Loki will not be forgiven easily…the reveal is only partway through the story, which means there is quite a bit of his having to make things right. OH, you will see, there is one specific point…and maybe when you don't expect it…that he will feel AWFUL, heh! Thanks for the review!

**Zippythewondersquirrel**-I kind of like keeping you up in the night, lol. It's like making people cry, it feeds the monster within…yeah. Thanks for the nice words, and I do not remember the story about Thor and Loki and the cat. And I decided in my take on this that cats (earth cats) are rare in other realms. Oh, Ragnar…almost everyone loves the little ball of fur.

**London calling**-Loki won't realize right away because he's a rather stubborn male. But things are brewing, I suppose, within him that he can't deny. Thanks for the review, and I am pleased you like 'Undaunted'. He is a feisty little fellow.

**Crede Biron**-Yes, I think Hogun figured it out! LOL…I won't comment on the rest of your take, so take that as you will ;). I would love to do a Loki v. Ragnar the Undaunted outtake…maybe later, once most of this is hammered out. OH, Ragnar… Thanks very much for reading and reviewing.

**Candy Flaps**-Heh, another Ragnar fan! No, there's no secret sentiment for Ragnar on Loki's part, but it is a testament to his growing…something…for his wife that he allows the kitten to be anywhere near him. Just wait until ahkfajhds;kfasd;. Gah. I hope you liked Thor's arrival. Thanks for the review and for reading and trust me, someone will see her scars soon!

**CallMeKia**-I hope you enjoyed jealous disgruntled Loki this chappie…oh, he does not like it when other people (*cough*men*cough*) pay attention to Asrior, but he does not admit why yet. And she is gaining more loyal friends every day, which is good for her. I hope there was something in this chapter to amuse you, and here's to being pain pill free. Thanks for the review and happy reading!

**NoVacanyMind**-Thanks very much for the 'fave', it makes me happy (and eager to write more)! Yes, it was a cliffie, and there will be a few more. Loki will get his day to feel like a proper POS, so here's to that time! Hope you enjoyed the update!

**Shelly**-no, Hlin was not blamed, but because he worked so much on the wall, he KNOWS it would not have fallen without help. As you can see, Asrior was ok. This time. *evil laugh* Thanks for the review and for reading and here's to more updates soon!

**MissCaityGrace**-Heh, expect more cliffs :D. I'll update this next one as soon as I can. I'm almost as anxious to write the next parts as you guys are to read them. Thanks for reading and for letting me know that you liked it!

**SissyPerigrin**-OMG, you always know how to put things so *concisely* and perfectly. Thanks for reviewing. And for making me laugh.

**HarryPotterFreakie**-I am very glad you like Ragnar's name. Loki is a d-bag, but he's being so because he's overly-emotional about things (for him) rather than being an evil POS (like Valtur is). But feel free to shake the shit out of him. Yes, another cliffie, and OH, *cough* there will be more that are probably much worse. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope this is a happy day!


	14. Chapter 13-The sentiments of a child

A/N-Thanks as always for reading, following, and reviewing!

And you know the drill, comments in a bit.

Here we go...

*runs away and hides*

OCs are mine, all else Marvel's.

* * *

**Chapter 13-The sentiments of a child**

"What are those?" Asrior asked, looking at the small and sharp metal objects Hlin had put on the ground.

"Throwing daggers," he said, and he shut the door behind him and bolted it. "Loki uses them in battle, and he taught me to wield them as well. And I will teach you."

She looked around the room, which was large and windowless and sat beneath the old keep, and raised a brow. "I thought that Okershall lacked a dungeon. Why was I not put here when I arrived?"

"This is an old storeroom, most likely a weapons vault." And he turned and smirked at her, adding, "And we do have a cells down here, but you were not put there because I refused to sleep down here as well." When she gave him a confused look, he seemed highly amused. "Did you not realize that my rooms are in the tower? Remember, you were put in my charge, and I had to be near you."

"Oh." She narrowed her eyes. "Why did no one tell me this?"

"I suppose I did not care if you thought you were being sent to the tower as retribution. And we weren't going to put you in the dungeon, though Emil suggested it." He was moving to the back of the room and lifting large padded hassocks that were almost as tall as a man from the floor. "These are what Loki used to train me when I first began using the daggers. We practiced outside, but seeing as you require more secrecy, we will stay in here."

And she watched as he leaned them against the wall.

When he turned and walked back to her, she asked, "Where in tower do you stay?"

"A few landings below your chambers."

"But why do you stay there? Surely Loki does not require that you do so, not when there are so many other rooms in the new wing."

He grinned and bent to pick up two of the daggers. "No, he actually found it annoying that I chose to stay there when I first arrived. But I like… I wanted to have a place of my own. The new wing, it is Loki's domain. But the tower is mine."

"Well… thank you for allowing me to stay in your tower. I find that it is comfortable now that I am used to it."

Hlin merely smiled and handed her a dagger. "Here, try to hold it as I do."

She took it and looked at his hand and fingers carefully, trying to imitate him.

"Now… watch the movement of my wrist as I throw it."

He flicked his wrist, throwing the dagger at the hassock, and in a second, the weapon was impaled in the center of it.

"Now… you try."

Asrior took a breath and tried to twist her wrist has he had done. Only her dagger hit the stone wall next to the hassock and clattered to the floor.

Hlin gave her another dagger, and then moved so that he was holding her wrist, guiding it, and he said, "Like this. Your wrist should roll, almost. As though you were using a whip. Have you used one before?"

"No." She pressed her lips together, a grimness entering her voice that she could not control. "But I have seen them used."

She tried throwing the dagger again, and though it wobbled as it flew through the air, it at least landed in the lower corner of the hassock.

"Better," Hlin said, giving her a look of encouragement. And then he tilted his head and stared at her for a moment before saying, "You have new clothes? You have been wearing nothing but the same gown all week."

"Oh…" she looked down at the russet colored shirt she was wearing. "Yes. I suppose Saldis could not repair my other tunic or my dress. And maybe this color is better, for if my blood gets on it, it will just blend in."

The boy snorted, and Asrior busied herself by getting another dagger. Her cheeks were getting warm, which was foolish; but when the new clothes had appeared on the bed the night before, she had been surprised at her reaction to them.

There had been the woolen tunic and leather pants she now wore, but more was left with it—gowns with heavy fabric that would be more suitable for winter and wraps and gloves, too. They were more elaborately embellished than what she had before, even the tunic, which was embroidered with golden flowers along the sleeve.

And they fit better than her others had. The first dresses Loki had bought when she had claimed to burn her others were slightly loose or just a bit short. And the pants had been loose. But every one of her new items fit almost perfectly, and she did not know what to think about his studying her so closely.

She told herself that it was Saldis who had arranged for the clothes, that the she was the one most likely to know exactly what to order so that it would fit; and when her stomach dropped at the thought that it was the housekeeper, the reaction made her Asrior angry.

So when she turned back to the hassock and tried again, the dagger did not wobble as much. And while it still landed much to low, it was buried deeper within the padding.

"Good!" Hlin was saying, sounding surprised. "You have a knack for this."

Shrugging, she tried to ignore the ridiculous feelings her husband stirred in her and said, "Still, I'd be hitting just below the knee if that were a real man. I have a lot of practice yet…I hope you bought a lot of daggers."

….

She was much more subdued than normal; it was obvious as soon as she entered the dining room.

Oh, Asrior looked festive enough, dressed as she was in one of the new gowns he had sent for her. She seemed to have chosen one with colors that suited the traditional decorations for Mabon, and the red leaves of the hoxivy rosette she had pinned near her shoulder glowed crimson against the copper-colored velvet of her gown and almost matched the blood-red of her hair.

But though her appearance was full of color and warmth, she was almost silent and was not smiling much at all—if she had been glaring at him, he would have thought they had somehow gone back to her first days at Okershall.

Perhaps it was the fact that the mortals were leaving the next morning that had her so low. She sat at the far end of the table next to his brother, and was looking through a book rather than partaking in the lively conversation around her as they waited for the servants to bring in the first course.

Thor did not look upset at her reserve. Indeed, he leaned over to speak quietly to her from time to time, pointing at something in the book. She would tilt up her mouth slightly as he spoke, and then turn back to the pages in front of her, her eyes growing serious again.

And then she turned a page and stilled, and her face began to change. "Hlin…" she turned to find him at his spot across the table. "It is a dog…hounds that the Midgardians said went with Odin on the Wild Hunt."

"Let me see." Hlin's sounded almost excited, and when Asrior pushed the book across the table at him, she was smiling again.

"Why, yes," Stark said, looking over from his seat next to the boy, his voice droll. "That would be a dog." And as he adjusted the hoxivy garland perched on his head, he looked over at Asrior, saying, "Please don't tell me you don't have those here either."

"There are domesticated wolves here," Hlin answered. "And we were talking about a song that speaks of Odin and the wolves he uses in the hunt…and Asrior remembered that mortals mistook our wolves for a creature of your land when Asgardians were there long ago."

"Ah. You speak of the songs of Vatrnaetr." Thor was nodding. "Your father sang them for me when I was a child."

And at Stark's look of confusion, Hlin explained, "Vatrnaetr is a holiday celebrating the change into winter and the coming hunting season. Your ancient people celebrated it as well."

"It is a much more…interesting occasion than Mabon," Thor said, lifting his goblet of mead as he spoke. "Today we have a mere feast to mark the end of harvest. But Vatrnaetr is…" His face went slack, as though under the grip of memories. "It is…"

"It is an occasion of wild, drunken, uninhibited debauchery," Loki supplied, eyeing his brother and recalling the wanton behavior Thor had reveled in years before. He himself had been more circumspect. "Thor once enjoyed that particular holiday _immensely_."

Stark was smirking at his brother. "You old dog, you. You're all…the noble defender of the nine realms now. What happened?"

His brother's cheeks actually turned slightly pink, but it was Asrior who spoke. "I'm sure he is exaggerating…"

"I'm afraid he's not," Thor said, and he laughed warmly as he recalled, "I remember one memorable occasion—Volstagg helped me lock Fandral in a washroom and when he did not return quickly enough, the goddesses he'd been wooing all evening were forced to find a new companion."

"Goddesses? Plural?" Banner asked, amused. "I take it you were their new companion?"

Thor, his mouth full of mead, looked delighted and nodded with enthusiastic confirmation.

"How many?" Stark asked, looking even more impressed than Banner.

"Counting the two Thor already had hanging on his arm? Five," Loki answered for him. "My brother's tastes ran to the rather excessive at that time."

The other men were grinning and Hlin's eyes were wide; but Thor, leaning an elbow on the table, narrowed his eyes as he stared at across at him. "And if I recall correctly, you lectured me endlessly that night regarding my…what was it? Deplorable lack of moderation." And he shook his head, turning to look at Stark with a smirk. "And the number was only four in the end, for one of the women—a most glorious creature with the most exquisite…charms—slipped away from me at some point during the revelry. I thought perhaps Fandral had escaped and distracted her, but late the next morning, as I was escorting one of my guests from my chambers, I happened to see said goddess of such exquisite form leaving the rooms of a certain silver tongued god of mischief who shall not be named."

The men were laughing harder now, and Loki lifted a shoulder. "I counseled restraint, not abstinence."

He could feel his own cheeks warming, which was absurd, for there was no reason to be self-conscious. He had done nothing wrong that night; he had merely indulged in a bout of insignificant coupling. Even if he had pursued the woman simply because she was the one Thor most wanted, she had been more than willing to lie with him and more than happy to be the object of his undivided attention.

But Asrior, who had been staring at him, jerked her head to the side when his eyes caught hers, her own cheeks glowing; and with an annoyed look that reminded him very much of the ones Sif would send the warriors when they grew too raucous, she said, "It was not like that where I lived. There was singing and dancing… not… not…"

"Orgies?" Stark asked, waggling his brows.

"No!" her face was flaming.

Still laughing, Thor thumped his goblet down so hard so that his own garland of hoxivy slipped over his eyes. "No, it is not always so rowdy. In the country, their celebrations are not as unruly…at least, not quite as much. Court can be… well, it is court." And he looked at Asrior as pushed the ivy up and smiled. "You celebrate Vatrnaetr on Svartalfheim?"

"No." She shook her head, speaking quietly, and she gave Loki an uneasy glance. "I was born on Asgard. I remember the celebrations there before I went to my father to live."

Thor's laughter faded, and Loki stared at Asrior, annoyed at her games. "What are you playing at?" he began, but Hlin was shaking his head, his voice rising over Loki's. "She was born on Gymirsgard." And he looked at Thor, insistent as he said, "You knew my father—you know the songs he knew from there; and Asrior knows some of them. She knows customs that only someone who knew an elder of Gymirsgard would know."

Loki opened his mouth to protest, but Thor threw him a quelling look, and turned to Asrior. "Where in Gymirsgard?"

"I don't know," she admitted, sounding hesitant.

Bruce, giving her a reassuring smile, explained, "She was raised near a mine, and when I went out collecting iron samples, I looked for it—she described it to me, what she remembered. But I didn't go into the country that Hlin says she came from."

"And I only just realized that it was Gymirsgard she lived in…she remembered a song celebrating Vatrnaetr and sang it for me recently," Hlin explained, and he and Asrior and Bruce were looking at Thor with solemn expressions.

Raising a hand to his chin and rubbing it, as though disturbed, Thor said, "We thought Birgitta bore you on Svartalfheim. We thought she died in a battle there."

"No," Asrior whispered, then she stiffened her back and her voice grew stronger. "We lived in Asgard, in a place near an iron mine, and we stayed in the countryside and saw very few people. There were elderly neighbors nearby that she trusted, and sometimes I would stay with them when she had to go into town. It was not until I was on Svartalfheim that I realized she had been hiding us from Valtur."

Everyone was quiet, and when a maid chose that moment to come in with a new pitcher of mead, saying she was sorry that supper was delayed, Thor waved her away.

"What… What happened to your mother?" he asked quietly when the servant slipped from the room.

Asrior had turned her head to stare at her hands, which were clasped tightly on her lap. "She died. I do not know how, but she died, and our neighbors were given her body. I asked Bruce to find out…if he found the mine we lived near…to find out if any remembered what happened to her."

Thor was rubbing his chin again, and he looked worried when he asked, "How old were you when she died?"

"Seven, I believe," she answered. "I was seven. Men of Asgard took me the day her body arrived at our neighbor's home, and they brought me to live with my father."

It was hard to believe. There had been no word of Birgitta after she'd left with Valtur long before the wars began, though rumors had eventually reached court of her death shortly after giving birth to the elf lord's child. It had eaten at Sif, the loss of contact with her mother before her death, and Loki found it hard to believe that the warm-hearted goddess he once knew would live on Asgard and fail to contact her older daughter.

"Who were these men of Asgard who took you to Valtur?" Loki asked then, leaning forward, his voice not as soft or kind as Thor's had been.

"I do not know." She looked over at him, sounding defensive. "I was a child. My mother was dead. I did not bother to write down their names."

Thor was glaring at him; and he suppressed a sigh, and with a gentler voice, asked, "Did Birgitta ever speak of your father? Did you know who he was?"

"No. When I asked about him, she would tell me that it did not matter how many parents I had or who they were, so long as I was loved," she answered, and sounding bolstered, she added, "She told me about when she lived at court. She told me of the gods there. She told me many things about my sister, and she said that one day, when we were able, we would go to her and stay with her."

"And what did she tell you of Sif?"Loki asked, his voice even softer.

The eyes that met his were without guile. "Everything. I know that her favorite color is red and that she loves berries covered in chocolate and even the names of her dolls when she was a babe. I know how many times she was sent to the healing rooms when trying to prove she was as good a warrior as any man. I know when her birth is celebrated, for we would celebrate it ourselves—and my mother would decorate our cottage with crimson buttonweed. She said she did the same for Sif when she was a child."

On the other side of the table, Thor stilled, and even Loki was struck by that information. Even today, Sif would buy the wildflower when the date of her birth neared, despite the fact that it made her unreasonably melancholy.

And crimson buttonweed did not grow on Svartalfheim. Nothing of that nature did, and it was getting harder for Loki to explain away some of what he had learned—he could find a logical answer for her knowing old folk tunes and for being familiar with their customs and even of Birgitta acquiring that particular red flower in another realm. But to know so much? Her mother would have had to immerse her in the ways of Asgard, and he could not imagine Valtur allowing such on Svartalfheim.

But Thor was waving in a servant who hovered in the hall, and with a quick look at Loki, said, "Our food is ready, and we have this holiday to celebrate now. Let us eat and be thankful for our harvest."

The others began to talk then, softly at first, and growing slightly louder when the servants drew in with their trays of roasted meat and vegetables and fruit. His brother, however, gave him a worried look from across the table, and Loki knew that if Asrior's tale turned out to be true, it would cause more complications with the queen of the dark realm.

Indeed, that evening, after both Asrior and Hlin had gone to their chambers and the others adjourned to Loki's workroom, Thor was most disagreeable. He was growing more agitated over Valtur's boldness, for if Asrior's story was true, by law she was a citizen of Asgard. And the taking of her as a child and bringing her to another realm was a blatant act of aggression, and the allegation disturbed his brother greatly.

It was the monster who had calmed him down, reminding him that they had a plan to capture Valtur; and that they should first find the place Asrior spoke of and learn the truth before making rash decisions.

For once, Loki had been thankful for his presence.

After he had settled Thor down, they'd outlined their next movements. The Midgardians had given him a modified portal used to travel between realms; he could use it to journey back to Okershall from anywhere on Asgard, though it could be used only once and he had to be most careful.

They discussed his ability to cast illusions, for Banner thought it best if he pretended to ride from Okershall and stay concealed in the castle while an impression of himself through the countries. Such an extended piece of magic required even more strength than he possessed…if he was expected to fight a small army dark elves soon after. He ignored Stark's snide remarks to remind them all that he continued to research ways to fortify his power, and also searched for a means to break through the spell Valtur kept around Jerrik's palace.

In the end, the pair had left him with the portal and a small device that would alert him if dark elves tripped the alarms they had place beyond the village. He could travel far away as Gaula with the hand-held item; and Heimdal would watch the alarms themselves when Loki ventured to court, and if they triggered, he could use the portal to get back to the castle in haste.

And he was traveling to Gaula that day, leaving orders to have Asrior visit certain farms in his absence, for he wanted it to be well known that she was trusted to venture away from the castle when he was not nearby. He wanted such word to get to her father. He wanted to bait the trap.

There was no need to waste time, for the pieces were in place. The others had all left that morning—Thor and Stark and Banner. The Midgardians had given his wife annoyingly excessive hugs, promising they would see her again; and Thor had kissed her hand in the manner of Asgardians, and though she had smiled, her face did not get a mushy look this time.

She was still…restrained. Still downcast about something; and though it was bothersome to see her so changed after her more animated behavior, it was not his concern.

At least, he told himself as much as he went to find her before he left on his journey.

Saldis directed him to the boulders, explaining that she went there every morning; and he found her there, kneeling at the foot of a large one, pressing the dirt back into place. Ragnar the Revolting was rolling in the grass next to her; and a man barely out of his youth sat against another boulder, leaning against it with his eyes closed, and Loki seemed to remember that he was Saldis's nephew. He wondered what the lad did there, but Asrior was pushing to stand, drawing his attention back to her.

He knew she saw him when he rode up and dismounted, for she had given him a quick look when she heard him; and now, she was staring at him, her face a mask when he neared her and asked, "What is it that you are doing here?"

His words were not harsh, nor was his tone, but her back stiffened. "Nothing you need worry about."

"I am not concerned," he said, keeping his voice even. "I should instead ask you why you are here. Tending to this area is not part of your duties as mistress."

She relaxed her shoulders slightly, but her voice was still rigid. "The grass was overgrown. I thought it a good idea to clean it. And then I had some bulbs that needed planting, and I put them here."

"Is that what you are doing at this rock? Planting bulbs?"

He noticed that it was the one with Vedis's name, and the babe's.

Asrior saw that his eyes were on the goddess's name and she looked down, mumbling, "No. I am sowing clover."

Loki's brow rose. "Really? Whatever for?"

"Yes, really." She raised her gaze to his, sounding almost defensive. "Hlin told me that she liked it."

The kitten had rambled over to where he stood and was inspecting his boot; and scowling at it, Loki said, "Yes, she liked it very much, but Vedis is not here to look upon it, so I do not see the point in planting it."

Her eyes widened. "You do not see the point?"

"It is the sentimental gesture of a child," he scoffed, annoyed at the way she was staring at him, as though judging him and finding him wanting. "Vedis is in Vallhalla with the honored dead. Planting clover by a rock with her name on it does nothing for her."

"Maybe not for her, but there are some who stay behind." Her chin was jutting out and her eyes were blazing. "Hogun at least comes here to remember her. Perhaps the sight of something she so loved will give comfort to him."

Loki merely grunted, for he did not want to antagonize her, but she was acting a foolish child.

"I would think that you would appreciate it. You thought to marry her, did you not? You found her worthy enough to wed, surely you grieved her."

His exasperation growing, he shook his head and bit out, "I told you before, when Vedis chose another, whatever heart is in me was left whole…and while the means of her passing from our world angers me greatly and is a… a motivation as I seek to find justice, I do not feel any maudlin need to cling to the things she treasured. Such sentiment is useless."

Ragnar the Unwanted was by Asrior now, jumping at her skirts, and as she bent to pick him up, she sounded shocked, "You did not love her?"

"I held her in more regard than any woman before. I do not know if it was love." He almost spit out the last word. "And seeing what Hogun endures, I hope never to know it like that. It has made him weak. It is a fool's coin."

If there was any agitation in Asrior, it seemed to leave her then. Her body stilled, and her eyes held an assurance he had not seen before; and she looked at him as though he were the one acting like an infant, sounding almost sorry for him when she spoke.

"Love has always made me stronger."

And she turned to put down the kitten and moved to another boulder, asking, "Whatever are you doing here, anyway? Did you seek me out to torment me or have you another reason for being here?"

His lips thinned at her flippancy, for she was the one determined to plague him. "No, I merely came to let you know that I am leaving for Gaula today. A matter has arisen there that requires my attention."

She was bending down to retrieve a tool from the grass, her tone dismissive. "Have a good journey, then."

Suppressing a sigh, he added, "There specific farms that need attention while I am away. I could not find Hlin anywhere, so I am leaving this with you."

He handed her the list he had put together, and as she grudgingly took it, she said, "Hlin had to help drive Bruce and Tony to the border with Hindi to arrange the rest of their journey. Ulvgeir and some of the stable hands partook in too much mead last night. He will be back tomorrow."

Her eyes were on the paper she held, and her shoulders were drooping as they'd done the night before. For a moment, he thought she was dejected again, but he noticed that her hand shook slightly as she read and her face was pale.

"What is it?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. "This mood that has you in its grips lately?"

Asrior's eyes were startled as they looked up at him. "I don't know what you mean."

She was lying, and he took a step closer to her. "Do not tell stories again, elf. Why are so quiet these past few days? And you're nervous, I can see it now. Are you planning something for when you are left alone here?"

"No!" she said, growing angry. "I not even want to be alone, and Hlin has arranged it so that I am always with someone. So you can rid your imagination of the elaborate tricks I am planning."

The man sleeping against the boulder snorted and shifted in his sleep, and the kitten, distracted by the sound, ran over to it.

Loki, understanding, asked, "Has Hlin filled your mind with stories about the wall falling on purpose?" And when the man began snoring as the orange creature climbed across his legs, he scoffed, "Is that supposed to be a guard?"

"Do not mock me." She had that unnerving assurance in her eyes again. "Someone has been following me through the woods. Spying on me."

He raised a brow. "And you know this how?"

"Because my hearing is good enough to know that someone ran after me when I left the forest the other day. And I have had to lock the greenhouse, for things were broken and…"

His disbelief must have shown on his face, for she stopped, and a defiant look entered her eyes. "I am not imagining things. You can think me a child for what I do here and think I am a child imagining monsters under my bed…but I will have someone with me whether you like it or not."

"So long as you do what I ask while I am away, I do not care if the entire staff at Okershall goes along with you," he said, moving away from her.

She was folding the paper and shoving it into a pocket. "Good."

But her mouth was lined with white and her body was tense; and he knew that while she would die before telling him, she was afraid of venturing so far out from the castle.

The sudden feeling of misgiving that overtook him was unnerving, but Loki shoved it aside, for he was determined to follow through with his plans. "Just make sure everything is taken care of before I return. I'll be back in six days."

And he turned on his heel and left, not looking behind him and ignoring the impulse to change his plans and stay at the castle.

….

She was surprised she had not had a nightmare.

As she slowly came to waking, Asrior realized that she was well rested, an unusual feeling in the last few days. Perhaps it was because Hlin was back, and she felt more assured knowing he slept a few floors below her in the tower. Perhaps her lack of slumber had caught up with her, and she had slept through the night in sheer exhaustion.

Whatever the reason, she felt better than she had in days, and she rolled over, smiling as a wriggling began under her arm and then over her shoulder, and Ragnar the Undaunted's little face pushed out from the neck of her nightdress.

"Good morning," she said, her voice still rough with sleep, and the kitten purred in return, moving to top of the bedclothes and stretching its legs out behind him.

Someone knocked softly at her door, and Asrior pushed up to sit and called softly to come in.

A maid pushed open the door, carrying her morning tea, and Ragnar jumped down to greet her.

"My lady," the girl said, sounding shy, and she put the tray on a table and bent to pet the kitten before leaving.

Asrior slid from the bed and moved to her window, glancing down at the yard below. The sun's light was just creeping across the lawn, and a handful of stable hands were moving near the paddock. She yawned and stretched as she watched the activity, only moving when Ragnar began winding around her ankles in his morning ritual.

"Alright, alright," she murmured, yawning again, and she crossed to where the tray sat on the table. There was a little bowl next to her mug, and Asrior poured cream into both before filling her cup with tea from the steaming kettle.

And placing the bowl on the ground, she muttered, "Here you go, Rangar the Insatiable."

The kitten managed to purr even as he began to drink, and, grinning sleepily, Asrior stood and moved to her wardrobe. It mornings were growing cooler, so she dressed quickly into her tunic and pants, and reached for one of the shawls as well.

Her hair felt like a bird's nest, so after draping the wrap across a chair, she turned to the bathroom to find her brush; but after a few steps, she remembered that she had not had any of her tea, and with a grumble, turned back around to get it.

"I do not know why I do this to myself," she said, reaching for the cup. "I do not even like mornings. Maybe tomorrow we will sleep in, Ragnar."

She looked over at the bowl, expecting him to look at her when she spoke; but the kitten was not drinking.

He was on his side, as though he had fallen there in a sleep, his body as still as the fox's in the forest had been.

"Ragnar?" Asrior's heart froze as she whispered, and when he did not move, her voice grew louder. "Ragnar!"

It was as though she was seeing everything in slow motion, but she knew she moved quickly—for as she scooped up the kitten and pushed out her door, her heart was pounding so hard she could not think. And her breathing was harsh, and a horrible mix of panic and fear overtook her as she rushed down the steps towards Hlin's door.

She pounded on it when she reached it, calling for him to wake up; and when the door jerked open to reveal the boy's anxious face, he asked, "What is it? What's wrong?"

He was trying to pull a pair of pants on as he spoke, was jumping as he pushed one leg in.

"I'm going to Hogun's," she managed, clasping the tiny kitten to her chest. "Ragnar… I cannot wait for you…"

And she turned and ran. She ran down the steps of the tower and through the greenhouse, pushing against the door to go outside. When it didn't move, she cursed loudly and reached up for the bolt, shoving at it hard until it burst open.

When she was outside, she ran harder, ignoring the startled cries of the stable hands as she rushed by them. She ran toward the woods, and then into them, ran so hard she thought her lungs would burst, but she could not stop.

She risked a look at her pet only once, seeking reassurance, but his little body was unmoving; and when she arrived at Hogun's door, she half collapsed against it, gasping for breath, one hand moving up to pound upon the wood.

The door opened so quickly that she almost feel inside, and as she stumbled against something tall and hard, she felt hands on her shoulders and the warrior's gruff voice asking, "What is going on now?"

"He… here…" She was still gasping for air as she held the cat out to him. "Ple… Please help."

He took Ragnar and walked backwards into the cottage, and Asrior leaned against the door frame, clinging to it as she watched him.

"You have… you have to help," she managed, watching as he gently placed the kitten on a long table.

Her heart would not stop pounding, and she could feel her body shaking, so she tried to grip the wood of the frame harder. And a sick, twisting knot formed in her stomach as she watched Hogun's hands move over Ragnar's fur, for his body was still not moving.

"Make him wake up."

She did not recognize her voice, but Hogun turned to look at her, his face grave. "The animal is dead."

"No." She shook her head, angry at his refusal to help her, and she insisted, "You must do something. You can heal creatures, and I demand that you help this one!"

He was standing, a look of such sympathy filling his eyes that the heart that had pounded so harshly in her chest stopped.

"He is beyond my help, Asrior. He is dead."

She turned then, running blindly from his cottage and into the yard. She was halfway across it when she heard a voice, and shaking her head, she moved away from it, running toward the woods.

"Asrior! Don't!"

Hlin was somewhere behind her, sounding winded, and she turned and looked around desperately, for she needed a place, anywhere, where she could be alone.

And then she moved toward the outbuilding, half stumbling, and opened the gate to the pen with jerky movements before running past the goat and into the little barn. As soon as she pushed the wooden door open, the sound of hooves stamping on dirt filled her ears, and she looked over to see that the ponies were in a large stall, dancing nervously away from its door as she burst inside.

She fled to the other side of the room, where bales of hay were stacked; and she collapsed against one of them, sliding until she was sitting on the ground; and she curled her legs into her body and wrapped her arms around them tightly, and wished more than anything that she could cry, for she thought if she did not find release that the pain in her chest would kill her.

But tears would not come.

So she sat and stared into nothing, her breathing labored as the ache turned into a low and insistent shooting sensation that cut from her heart and into her body and felt as though it would never end.

Asrior did not know how long she sat there, but at some point she heard the barn door open, and footsteps drew near. She did not look up at the sound of them, and did not move when the person slid to sit beside her, so close their bodies were touching.

"What happened to him?"

Hlin's soft voice broke through her stupor, and she did not look at him when she answered.

"I gave him cream when we woke up. I found him lying next to the bowl."

She did not have to tell him anything more, for Hlin was smart enough to know what had happened; and his voice was gruff when he admitted, "Hogun says there was foam at his mouth. He thinks it was poison."

She nodded, still staring with unseeing eyes at the spot in front of her, and clutched her legs tighter against her chest.

"You cannot go anywhere without me," he said, sounding distressed. "Even in the castle."

Taking a deep and shaking breath, she shook her head. "You should not be near me. I do not want to see you hurt. If something happens to you…"

Her throat grew too tight to talk, but Hlin moved even closer to her, and she felt his arm across her back.

"I am not leaving you alone. You will never be alone again, Asrior. Do you understand?"

And she nodded after a moment, and for the first time, she looked at him and thought that her chest might burst the feelings in it were so great.

His eyes were glowing red, and they were wet, and he gave her an unsteady smile. "Maybe we should stay in the dungeons after all. And the next time you rush out like that, you should at least wear shoes."

She tried to smile at him, and then bit her lips after a moment; and when the pain pierced at her heart again, she looked at him, almost begging, "I want Ragnar back. I know…I know he was just a pet, but I… I.. I do not want him to be dead."

"I know," he said, and when she closed her eyes, she felt his head move so that it was on her shoulder. "I know."

….

True to his word, Hlin stayed by her side, not leaving unless Saldis was with her. The pair of them would not let her have food unless they had prepared it, and they insisted on checking her room before she went into it. Hlin even began sleeping on a bench outside of her door, much as Kagoq had done when she was a child.

The first time he kept watch, he turned himself into his true form for the occasion. Asrior almost laughed when she opened the door to check on him and saw his blue head leaning against the stone wall. His red eyes filled with affront as he looked at her and said, "Do not look so amused. If anyone seeks to harm you, they should know that they have a frost giant to get through before they can get to you."

By the third day, she was feeling almost too coddled, and as she stood side by side with Hlin in the greenhouse, she said, "The servants are starting to gossip."

"About what?" he was handing her bundles of dried herbs to place in her basket. "Do they suspect you are being hunted?"

A shiver ran down her spine. "Do not say it that way," she implored, and then shook her head and gave him a teasing look. "They think you are so much at my side that you are growing enamored of me."

To her surprise, pink tinged his cheeks, and he looked over at the other herbs stacked on the bench and mumbled, "That's silly. You are my friend."

Her heart, which had ached so much in the past days, grew tight for a different reason. She vividly remembered her childhood feelings for Thor, and she wondered if she had looked as Hlin did now, embarrassed and desperate to pretend she was indifferent.

So she made a face and said, "They are indeed silly, for I am already married, even if my husband cannot wait to divorce me. And I am too old for you, too. Of course, if I were younger—or if you were older—perhaps I would have chosen a different frost giant to wed."

He gave her a reluctant smile, and she grinned, placing more herbs in the basket; and then, looking down at his hands, Hlin asked, "Why did you marry Loki?"

Her mouth gaped for a moment, and then she managed, "Why… Why do you want to know?"

"Hlin lifted a shoulder. "I just… I saw you, the day you arrived. You were in his office and you looked…" His voice trailed off and he scratched the back of his neck. "You looked..."

Asrior's mouth twisted. "I was not enamored of him when we wed, if that is what you are thinking. I just…"

_I hoped for more_, she admitted, but not aloud.

"What?"

"I thought our marriage would be a normal one. I thought it would help heal wounds among our realms in some small way. I thought we would deal well together," she said very softly.

"You did not know what your father was doing in these lands, did you?" he asked, looking at her again. "You did not know that Loki wanted revenge."

"No," she admitted.

"It was wrong, what Loki did to you," Hlin said, his mouth growing tight. "I do not know why he did it."

"He did… He did what he knew how to do," she said quietly, trying to put her feelings into words. "I cannot pretend that I agree with his ways, but your master…" She looked in Hlin's eyes, reassuring him, "I have been around those who seek to hurt for the sake of inflicting pain. Loki… He is stupid and rash and incredibly cruel in his thoughtlessness, but he at least acts out of emotion. Even if he does not want to admit as much."

She wasn't sure why she did not launch into a scathing indictment of Loki's actions, of how he'd tricked her and lied and bedded her only to lay claim to the fortune Valtur had put into her name. How she had thought him a friend and had hoped to find a home at the castle.

Perhaps it was because of her affection for Hlin. She did not want to see him hurt. For all that he had grown devoted to her, he also held her husband in high regard. Loki had saved his life. She did not want to be the one to rip apart even a few of his illusions.

Smiling at him again, she closed the basket, and said, "Come on. If we leave now, we can be back long before darkness falls." And she put on her heavy cloak, watching as Hlin checked the pockets of his coat for the daggers before shouldering it on.

"Ready?" she asked when he was done.

"As I'll ever be," he grunted, and as they walked from the back of the greenhouse, he said, "We should just stay here and ignore Loki's list. When he returns from Gaula in two days, I'll just tell him what's been going on with you."

She looked at the ground for a moment before admitting, "He knows, Hlin. I told him the morning that he left. He seemed to think I was imagining things."

"Yes, but that was before Ragnar," Hlin pointed out. "Your imagination did not poison the kitten."

"No, but how can we prove he was poisoned? The maids picked everything up before we got back. We cannot prove there was poison in the cream."

Hlin grumbled, and Asrior nudged him with her elbow. "Don't. At least Hjorter can meet us in the village and we do not have to be out all afternoon." And when all he did was give her a wry look, she said, "Enough of this. Let us talk about something else. Tell me more about Vatrnaetr. How is it celebrated here?"

And so as they walked towards the woods, Hlin launched into tales of celebrations he'd seen since his arrival at Okershall. He told her of the year that the snows came late, which only made the celebrations drag on longer. He told her of the ancient farmer who claimed to have fought with giants and who insisted upon retelling the tale every year as the bonfire was being lit.

When they were in the woods, he began telling her of Loki's first visit during Vatrnaetr—of how the men from the village, intent on impressing their new lord, made a bonfire so large that they claimed to see it in Gaula. Of how the god had performed magic tricks for the children after consuming a fair amount of mulled wine.

"He would not," Asrior said, shaking her head as she followed him on the path. "I refuse to believe that the God of Lies and Mischief performed magic for children. _On children_, yes, but for them?"

"You had to be there," Hlin said, grinning. "Of course, it was only one trick—making sparks fly out of their cups of cider—and he claimed he meant to frighten the children instead of making them beg to for more, but…"

He paused, and Asrior's heart skipped a beat. "What is it?" she whispered, one of her hands inching into her pocket for a dagger.

"I thought I heard a horse," he said, and his steps quickened, and his own hands moved into his pockets. "It's probably Hogun further out in the woods. I told him we would walk to the village today and asked him to look out for anything."

But as the last words fell from his tongue, something crashed in the woods beside them, and the hairs on the back of Asrior's neck rose.

"Run," she urged, pushing at his back. "Run…"

But before they could move more than a few feet, another sound came, this time from in front of them, and Hlin stopped so fast that Asrior almost ran into his back.

They turned wordlessly to go back the other way, and as Hlin shoved her so that he could be in front of her, something loud cracked and there was a gust of air by her ear. And as they ran, they both turned to look at the metal arrow that lay embedded in a nearby tree trunk.

"Go…" Asrior gasped, pushing at Hlin's back, and there was another crack and another gust of air.

Hlin was stopping, and he was turning into his Jotun form, calling out, "You will have to get through me first! She is not alone!"

Something that sounded like laughter rang out in the distance, and it sounded as though someone was running through the woods to the side of them; and Asrior whispered, "I do not think they are alone either."

And her hand reached for his, and she turned, a tiny throwing dagger in her other hand; and another crack split the air.

She did not feel the gust of air, though, for the arrow did not sail by her ear; it landed in her chest instead, between her sternum and shoulder, and she would have looked at it with surprise had there not been so much pain.

It was cursed.

Agony such that she had not felt before was filling her, for the weapon's dark magic was inside of her, and the red-hot fire of it was shooting throughout her body. She somehow registered that she was on her knees and was moaning and that Hlin was lifting her and dragging her into the trees to hide, but all she wanted to do was scream louder and tear at the arrow.

"Come on," he was saying, sounding terrified. "We need cover." And as he managed to get them into a copse of little willow trees, she could tell that he was crying. "Oh… oh, it's gone clear through your back…"

She was on her hands and knees, gasping, trying to exert the control she had learned to endure Valtur's whip. But the weapon's power was such that she had not faced before, and she her chest was heaving with her gasps.

"Take it… we must take it from me… break it…" she managed, trying to look at Hlin. "Don't…. don't touch the tip…"

His hands were on the end of the arrow, snapping the part that protruded from her back, then, and her body was shaking, and she wailed, "Quickly…"

He was sobbing and pulling, and it was as though knives were tearing through her shoulder, but she heard something hit the ground; and then pain subsided enough for her to look at him.

He was still in his Jotun form, and he was looking at her with horror; Asrior managed to push up onto her knees, and she closed her eyes and tried exert control over the pain.

"We have to move," he said, and she heard him moving, and then there was the sound of tearing. "We cannot stay here."

"Are they gone?" It was difficult to speak.

"I don't know. But we cannot stay."

And he was pushing something into her hand, saying, "Here. Hold this against the wound."

She did as he told her, and gasped when she felt herself lifted into the air. "What…"

"I can carry you," he said grimly, settling her against his smaller frame. "I might be small for a Jotun, but my strength is unquestioned."

He began to walk, and Asrior began to slip away. Her breathing became deep and even, and she was aware of the agony, but her mind was with Birgitta, as it had been after facing Valtur's whip. She could hear Hlin's chest heaving and feel his heart beating against her body, quickly, as though it were a frightened bird. But her mother was holding her hand and telling her she would get through this too, and Asrior repeated her words.

_Be brave. Be brave. Be brave._

"You are…" she heard Hlin say above her, his voice thick. "You are very brave."

And then he stiffened, and she heard the sound of a horse galloping, and Hlin shrank into the trees, whispering, "Try to be quiet…"

But he was back on the path after a second, shouting desperately, "Over here! We are over here!"

There was an answering shout, and the horse was coming nearer, and Hlin was saying, "Wake up, Asrior. Wake up."

She wanted to stay with Birgitta though, and so she ignored him and concentrated on her breathing.

"Asrior… don't…" Hlin was crying again.

_Be brave._

Someone's feet hit the ground, and she could hear the beast it rode on snorting and stomping at the dirt.

"What is this? What happened?"

And before Hlin could speak, Asrior opened her eyes and met the stunned pale green gaze of Loki Laufeyson.

"What are you doing back so soon?" she asked with surprise; and she could feel her head swim, and the hand she had been pressing against the wound began to slip. She could not hold it up, as much as she tried, and as the bloody piece of Hlin's shirt that she held fell from her fingers, she looked at her husband and explained, "It is dark magic, you know."

She thought he said something, but her eyes were closing. It was too hard to listen much less speak. And Asrior wondered how many days it would be before she could move, wishing that Kagoq were there to hold her hand once more.

* * *

**A few brief remarks post-update**:

I have to admit, as I read all of the previous love for poor little Ragnar the Undaunted, I felt really awful because I knew the little guy was going to die.

I will also admit that the work-in-progress title for this chapter was "Ragnar the Dead".

*hangs head in shame*

He was a really sweet kitten.

Maybe things eventually get better.

**And now, comments:**

**Sephe-**Oh, I am glad I surprised you in that Valtur did not steal Asrior and that it was the wall falling. She has a little ways to go before she, well…you'll see! LOL *is cruel with lack of hints* And I am really glad you liked angry confused Loki, because that part was fun to write. Thanks for the review and the very nice words about the story, and here's to quick updates in future.

**SissyPerigrin-**As I said, you are a master of saying much with few words. Asrior is brave and does not give up easily to say the least. Thanks for reading, and I cannot wait to see what you write next.

**Midnight's Star**-*blushes* Thank you. And I hope you enjoyed this current update.

**Zippythewondersquirrelwiththeawesomelyfunnname**-thank you! And thanks for that story…one I do not remember. And I wrote more, very quickly, and I hope you enjoyed it!

**Vykroth**e-You know, I had a lot of fun with Loki and his names for the little kitten…even though I was always well aware that poor little Ragnar was not long for Asgard. Do not fret, though, because…You. Shall. See. I hope you enjoyed the current update. And thanks for reviewing!

**London calling**-You should feel something for Loki, because, as Asrior said, he is doing what he knows…and he is not evil for the sake of being evil. He is driven by emotion, and while much of that emotion is self-centered, he is not pure evil. And he is veeeery loyal to Asgard. Thanks for the very nice review, and happy reading.

**Lola**-Thank you! And the suspense might yet drag on…but people will find out veeeeery veeeery soon. :D

**Candy Flap**s-pleasedon'thatemeforkillingragnar…therealsexwill beworthit. *fingerscrossed* Thanks as always for your thoughts, and I really hope you got feels from this chappie.

**BlooAngels**-we'll see about Valtur's father, for yay for Thor being such a sweetheart with Asrior! It always helps when the in-laws get along ;). I hope you liked the latest, and thanks for reading and commenting.

**CelisSingsSongs**-I tend to update every 4 days, but as you can see, this one was quicker. The next one will not be as fast…just a head's up for everyone, because the next update is a whole lotta Loki POV and the very nature of whap happens next means it will be a little more complicated to write. Thanks for reading and commenting! I sincerely hope this was worth the not-quite-as-long-wait.

**NoVacancyMind**-Are you still on the edge of your seat ;). Thanks for reviewing, it really is nice ot hear you read chapters so quickly when I post them. I hope you liked this one!

**HarryPotterFreakie**-du du DUNNN!…if you thought last update was mental-institute-worthy, what about this one? :D I hope you liked it! Thanks for your comments, I love them!

**Shelly**-Asrior's full 100000000 watt smile! Which others will get again. We'll see about your guesses, but for now, thank you for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed the latest update!


	15. Chapter 14-Brave

A/N-Thanks so very much to my readers and reviewers and followers. You guys are seriously awesome.

Just a quick note here...it's late, and this is the middle of the night for me, so I'll comment tomorrow at some point at the end.

This chapter isn't quite as long as others, but it took a while to get out, because it had to be right. I am not above rewriting it if I somehow think it needs to be better...for this is one of the most important parts of the story. It is...all Loki here.

Thanks so much for reading.

Shelly, you literally minutes ago asked for an update, so here you go.

I hope you enjoy it.

OCs are mine, all else Marvel's.

* * *

**Chapter 14-Brave**

Her fear plagued his mind for days.

He kept seeing her standing in the midst of the boulders, her face possessed of a calm that belied her distress over being left alone. It was almost startling to see her that way, for Asrior had never seemed to dwell on such emotions.

Not at court, when so many had openly showed their disdain for her presence. Not by the lake, when he had first approached her and she boldly told him she would not go back to the city. Not even when he brought her to Okershall and had revealed the truth of his cunning.

Asrior had always been…brave.

And it did not matter how often he told himself he was being obtuse for fretting over it, the nagging thoughts would not go away.

Still, when Loki returned to Okershall after only four days, he told himself that he was _not _returning early to assuage her fears. He had simply fulfilled what was necessary in Gaula, dropping enough words into the ears of the right people that his new wife was busying herself in the countryside while he attended to business. Word would reach Valtur that his daughter was sometimes left alone, and eventually the elf lord would be back for his daughter.

If he pushed his horse faster than normal upon his return, it was only because it was urgent that he talk to Hjorter about the curtain wall—the young man had not had a chance to stop by the castle before Loki had left, and he was anxious to hear his thoughts. He even forced himself to slow down as he neared the his farm, for was really no rush. It wasn't as though he needed to get back to the castle quickly. Really, the elf's fears were baseless.

But just as he began to slow, he saw a pony cart approaching, and Hjorter was on a horse walking along side of it. Loki's body relaxed at the sight in front of him, and his breathing slowed, and as he pushed his horse forward, he finally admitted that he might have been a little concerned. Which had been foolish, for Asrior was perfectly fine.

Except as he drew near, he saw that it was not the cart from Okershall. It was a larger, and it was filled with Hjorter's younger brothers and cousins, who looked at him with wide eyes as he approached on his great sorrel horse, Falhofnir.

"My lord," Hjorter said, stopping his own horse, and he dropped his head into a bow; the cart stopped as well and some of the older children imitated his actions while the younger ones gaped.

"Hjorter," Loki greeted, giving him and the children a benevolent look as he tried to ignore the uneasy feeling that replaced his momentary sense of relief. "I was on my way to the farm to talk to you about the curtain wall. Have you had a chance to inspect it?"

"Yes, my lord, I have." Then the lad gave the others a quick glance, saying, "Truett…go on ahead. I'll catch up in a few minutes."

The boy driving the cart looked at him with curious eyes. "But you said I am not to drive the cart alone."

"I am returning to Okershall and do not want to delay, so I will not keep Hjorter long," Loki reassured him, and he tried to look kindly at the children, who were watching him with wary expressions. "And I will ask the lady Asrior to visit your farm as soon as possible." He paused, and though he was loath to stoop to such bribery, added, "And to bring sweets."

A little girl sitting in the back of the cart gave him a timid smile at that, telling him, "We are on our way to meet her and Hlin in the village now."

"Are you?" he asked, his unease seeming to grow, which was absurd; and as the cart began to pull away, he pushed the feeling aside. If Asrior was in the village with Hlin, then it was obvious that nothing was wrong. He really did not need to allow her moods to so affect him.

"My lord." Hjorter broke into his thoughts, and when Loki looked at him, he said, "I inspected the wall a few days ago, soon after you left. I looked at it with Tag, and…"

When he hesitated, Loki prodded, "And?"

"We both agree that it did not fall on its own."

The lad looked nervous at telling him such, and he wondered what stories Hlin had been telling him. But Loki did not scoff, instead grudgingly saying, "Tell me more. How do you know?"

"Well, sir…if the wall had collapsed on its own, given the kind of repairs that were made, it would have been caused by weakness between the supporting joints…not enough tension between them would have caused it to buckle in the middle. And when breaks occur in that situation, the wall crumbles differently. More stones fall from the weak point from the center…making close to a 'v' shape between the joints, right?" Loki nodded, and when he did not speak, the boy continued, "But the break on your wall was just about even, almost straight across from one joint to only halfway to the other. I've never seen anything like that before."

His stomach grew tight as the Hjorter spoke. "So you think… you mean that it was done on purpose?"

"There's an allure running along the other side of the wall, sir. It looked like someone just walked along it and knocked the stones down. The mixture bonding the stone was not yet set, so it would not have been difficult for an Asgardian to push the stones down. Or someone of equal strength." Hjorter looked worried as to what Loki's reaction would be, but his shoulders were square and unyielding. "I am sure of it."

The knot was tighter now, and Loki nodded, muttering, "Thank you, Hjorter. If I need anything else, I'll send Hlin for you. You should catch up with your family."

"Yes, my lord."

And the boy, who looked quite relieved, gave a quick nod and spurred his horse forward, while Loki turned his mount to head back to the road that led to the castle, pushing the horse hard again. He had to inspect the wall himself again and soon.

The unease that had been with him was growing, but there was something more. The closer he got to Okershall, the more his skin felt…shimmery, as though every particle of it was tingling. The knot in his stomach began to grow heavy, and an unfamiliar sensation traced a line from his scalp to his spine. It was as though he body recognized something that his mind had not yet discovered.

It was only as he neared the hill that led to the castle that he realized that he had not seen Asrior on the road. He should have seen her and Hlin on their way to the village if they'd taken the cart.

He had just passed the point where the woods met the road, where a path to Hogun's touched, and almost without thinking, he turned and rode back toward it, his breathing growing harsh. The pair must have gone through the forest, and Loki headed for the warrior's cottage, his skin almost itching with the need to ask him if could keep an eye open when he was out in the woods. Even if Asrior were imagining things, there was something just on the edge of his senses…

But the cottage appeared empty as he drew near. The windows were shut and the smoke that rose from the chimney was thin, as though the fire inside went out. Loki sat for only a moment before heading down a different path, one that led to the wider trail that wound through the woods and into the village.

He was so on edge as he rode that that he reached into a pocket for the small device the Midgardians had given him. It was insane to do so, for the thing was supposed to alert him if dark elves tripped the alarms scattered around the countryside, and the damned thing had been silent. And the light in the middle of it glowed green, indicating that the alarms were still armed.

Shoving it back into place with a scowl, he pushed Falhofnir faster, debating whether or not to just go back to the castle. He was probably being paranoid. He was surely being a fool, imagining monsters under his bed, as Asrior had done.

And as he reached the path that led to the village, when he was a heartbeat away from turning toward the castle, he felt it—a burning deep in his gut and a quivering in his bones that was unmistakable.

Someone nearby used powerful dark magic.

Biting back an oath, he bent lower over Falhofnir, urging him toward the feeling so swiftly that they almost flew. And with each heartbeat, each breath that he took as they raced forward, the feeling grew stronger. His body was almost vibrating with it, and even as a rage began to build in him, so did panic, for he could smell danger and fear.

He could feel something ahead of him, and then it moved and was racing into the woods on the side, and he looked, just for a moment, as he rode past. It was there, the dark magic—the stench of it moving deeper into the woods.

But as he was about to turn toward it to give chase, Loki heard a shout on the path ahead of him.

"Over here!"

And a person carrying someone draped in black stepped onto the path—a youth with a distinct lean body and ridged blue face.

"We are over here!"

Hlin stood there in his Jotun form, sounding terrified, and as the boy moved fully into the center of the path, Loki saw that blood red hair was tangled with the black in his arms.

Cursing loudly, he pushed the horse toward them and shouted to be still. His heart was suddenly racing, and as he pulled to a stop and flew from the horse, he saw that Hlin was crying. He held Asrior up against his body, and she was curled into him, her bright head on his shoulder, eyes closed and a hand clutched against her chest.

"What is this?" Loki bit out, trying to make sense of the sight before him, and he realized that a trace of dark magic lingered in the air. "What has happened?"

But Hlin was trying to control his tears. Asrior's head rolled to the side, though, and her eyes opened at his words, the twilight blue of them looked like glass as she gazed up at him—and surprise filled her reed-thin voice as she asked, "What are you doing back so soon?"

Before he could answer, her head swayed until it found a spot against Hlin's neck; and Loki saw that the hand against her chest was sliding…and she was clutching something against her, something that fell from her grasp as her arm dropped heavily to her side.

And as a blood-stained piece of white linen fell onto the path, Asrior looked at him, her eyes barely open, and as though sharing a jest, she said, "It is dark magic, you know."

"What… what has…" Loki began, his tongue refusing to move as he watched her eyes close, and then Hlin finally found his voice again, begging, "Do something!" And the red eyes that he raised the god were desperate. "She was hit by an arrow…I think it was cursed. I pulled it out, but she's worse…"

He could see the wound on her chest then, could see the wetness of blood shining against the black of her cloak.

"We need to get to Hogun's cottage," Loki said, instinct taking over, for his mind was still in disarray; and as he began moving to the side of the path, he tried to sound composed, for Hlin looked as though he were about to faint. "And we need him. I'm going to have to project…"

But the sound of a horse galloping toward them stopped his words midsentence, and the warrior himself came into view.

Hogun's mouth opened when he saw them, as though to call a greeting, but it snapped closed as he fully took in the scene before him. And, as Loki had done moments before, he jumped from his horse and ran toward them.

"What has happened? I heard shouting."

Loki was already moving to Falhofnir, telling Hlin, "I will take Asrior." And as he swung up into his saddle, he looked at Hogun. "We need cedar and demon pod, and we need them quickly."

Hogun's eyes flickered at the mention of items used to combat the darkest of magic, and he moved to Hlin, urging "Here. Let me lift her."

"But…" Hlin said, his arms clutching Asrior tighter. "What are you doing? Is she… will she…"

"She needs care. We must get her to my home in haste," Hogun answered, his voice gentle despite how he rushed the words, and the boy finally loosened his grip. And he took her from Hlin and quickly turned, holding her so that Loki could bend and take her under the arms, his hands spanning over her ribcage.

It was not difficult to raise her, for she was light, and within moments, he was holding Asrior to him with one arm and turning his mount toward Hogun's.

He did not wait for the others.

The sound of galloping behind him told him that they followed, but Loki did not look behind him. He stayed focused on the path ahead, his eyes straying only once to the female he held against him. Strands of hair blew over Asrior's face, but her body was limp. He could feel her chest moving, though, rising in slow and deeps breaths against his ribcage.

When he reached Hogun's cottage, he pulled to a halt and swung from the horse with Asrior clutched awkwardly against him; and as he moved his free arm to gather her better, he heard the others arriving as well, and their footsteps soon raced across the yard.

"Quickly." Hogun was at the door, pushing inside and moving toward the cabinet where he kept his supplies for healing. "Light the torches, Hlin."

Loki moved past them both and shouldered the door to Hogun's small bed chamber open; and as he put Asrior on the bed inside, he heard Hogun in the main room, cursing under his breath as he pushed jars around, and then Hlin, returned to his Asgardian form, rushed into the room to light the torches there.

Asrior's cloak was heavy, and as his fingers fumbled on its ties, he saw the dark stain underneath, spreading over her the front of her woolen tunic.

"Tell Hogun he will need tormentil powder as well. For the bleeding." Loki did not look at Hlin, but he heard him run from the room.

He freed her arms from the cloak and pulled it from under her, shoving it to the ground; and he began pulling the top of her tunic down with a hand. His heart was still racing and his mind was numb, but somehow he remembered the magic to rip the fabric. And as he pushed aside the wool to reveal the bloodied hole in her chest, he heard Hogun's heavy footsteps.

"Move."

And the warrior pushed him to the side as he sat upon the bed, his hands full. He placed his cargo on the bed with fitful movements, and then his hand searched and picked up a small marble bowl. Hogun dipped his hand inside and lifted a greenish sludge from it with two fingers and began pressing it deep into the wound.

"Will she be alright?" Hlin asked from somewhere behind.

Hogun glanced over his shoulder. "She is lucky the arrow was not closer to her heart, for it was cursed and the dark magic is deep inside of her body. But she will live." And he looked down at the wound he worked at, his eyes darkening. "But the healing will be slow."

"But Loki's magic…"

"Will not be enough to help her now." Hogun was swiping at the blood on her chest with a cloth. "You have seen this before from the dark elf attacks, Hlin. You know their power. You know that the scar the wound gives her will be with her forever."

Asrior's eyes were still closed, and her face was pale as death. And her breathing turned shallower as Hogun pushed more of the ointment into her; and the warrior's jaw clenched with worry as he muttered, "This is very deep."

"It goes all the way through her," Hlin was saying, his voice shaking. "The arrow was out her back…"

Cursing again, Hogun shoved a bandage on the wound and stood, taking the bowl with him "I need more of this. Free the wound on the other side and clear as much blood from it as you can."

Loki moved as the warrior ran from the room, shifting Asrior so that she was on her side and pushing her hair away from her body; he could see it then, the dark stain on her back, and gritting his teeth in anger at the sight of it, he pulled again at her tunic, exposing her shoulder and then ripping so that the wound on her back was exposed…

His body was once again ahead of his mind, for it froze, and everything around him went silent and still…except for the ground, which had somehow moved beneath his feet, for he felt as though he were falling. But he barely registered the sensation, barely knew anything, for he was trying to comprehend what his eyes were seeing.

And then it was though his mind was out of his body completely, for he did not notice that he sat on the bed; he was just suddenly there, and he was using magic to tear more of the tunic away, trying to find an end to the shining and puckered strip of scars that snaked from Asrior's shoulder and down her back.

But the scars dipped to her waist and below the leather pants she wore.

He heard a horrified sound behind him, and then Hogun's footsteps and guttural complaint, "Why is the wound not clean…"

And as Loki turned, he saw the Hlin was pressed into the wall, a hand covering his mouth as he stared at her back with shining eyes; and moving his gaze to where Hogun stood, his steps having faltered, Loki said, "She… She has been hurt. Before."

It did not sound like his voice, but he must have spoken, for Hogun moved again at the sound of it. And Loki somehow moved away, standing to watch as the warrior sat next to Asrior and began cleaning the blood from her back.

"Yes," he said simply, his movements jerky and sure all at once, and his voice was filled with something close to grief. "Hlin suspected as much."

He watched the other man as he worked, cleaning the blood that stained Asrior's back even as he pressed the healing ointment into her wound. And feeling was starting to enter Loki's body again. Pinpricks were stabbing at his skin. A hyperawareness was taking over from the shock that had numbed him before.

"How did you know?" he asked, looking at Hlin, his hands flexing at his side, and his nostril flaring for he suddenly felt the need to curse something or to hit something or…

"How did you not know?" the boy shouted, his distress giving way to a sudden anger, the words bursting from him and filling the tiny room. "Did it never occur to you that her father might have hurt her too?"

Surprised at his reaction, Loki stared at him, trying to find words to defend himself.

But Hlin was still raging, standing up from the wall as he snarled, "You did this to her! This is your fault! You brought her here and made sure she was treated with scorn, and you left, and you knew she was afraid…"

He was crying again, and Hogun, looking up from where he sat by Asrior, said sternly, "Not now, Hlin. Your help is needed, so pull yourself together."

The boy's body was trembling with his fury, but he tore his gaze away from Loki and said, "I am under enough control to help. What do you need me to do?"

Hogun shifted Asrior so he could bind the wounds with bandages. "Go to the castle and tell Saldis what has happened. Tell her that Asrior will need to stay here for a time, and she will need clothing. Nightclothes. Something loose so we can tend her wounds. It will be days before we can move her."

Hlin nodded and pressed his lips tightly together before turning to the door, not looking at Loki as he left.

When the door to the cottage slammed, Hogun muttered, "He has become attached to her lately, and he is yet a boy. Remember that sentiment can be difficult to control for one so young."

"But he's right," Loki admitted harshly, turning and hitting a fist against the wall. "I have wanted the dark elves to try to get her. I didn't expect this to happen… I didn't _know…_" He shook his head as though to clear the reeling inside of it. "I didn't know."

The warrior turned then, his own disapproval apparent; but he simply moved to a chest and opened a drawer, pulling out a large shirt.

"Here," he said, his voice gruff, and he thrust the clothing at Loki. "You will need to dress her in this for now. I need to make more ointment, for she will need it."

Hogun left then, closing the door behind him, leaving him alone with Asrior.

….

She looked very small, lying as she was in the warrior's great bed, and as he peeled off her tunic and then her pants, Loki's face grew grimmer with every movement.

For indeed, the scars on her back did not end there. They continued down her body, the welts not stopping until they were halfway down a leg. And they were layered, had been dealt out over time, had followed the same pattern so that which each beating, old wounds were opened with the new.

It was impossible to imagine how her body had endured it.

Loki had seen such wounds before. He had helped tend to men wounded by dark magic in battle—had his own scars from such forces. The pain of his own small wounds had been excruciating beyond almost anything he had endured, save the justice Asgardians had meted to him after his invasion of Midgard.

And Asrior…

If she told the truth about her childhood, she had been a mere babe when she had been given to Valtur with none to protect her.

When he had cleaned the rest of the blood from her, Loki lifted her against him; she was still unconscious, but her breathing was once again slow and even. He eased her arms into the shirt and then pulled it onto her body, being careful not to disturb the bandages; and he pulled her hair caught under its collar, smoothing it back. And when he put her on the side that was not wounded, he loosely tied the front of the shirt.

He picked up one of her hands, next, and began rolling the shirt up, noticing as he did so that she bore a scar on her wrist. The roughened red circle looked angry next to the pale smoothness of her arm, and as he stared at it, Loki's chest tightened with anger, and it was suddenly very hard to swallow.

And his rage was not directed solely at her father.

He remembered how she'd looked her first night at Okershall, when he'd admitted his trickery and had been pushed so far as to threaten her. She'd looked so different then…so full of rage and scorn that she seemed to match his height, and it had been easy to forget her true size. Her eyes had flashed with hatred, and her words had dripped with a pride that had infuriated him.

_There is nothing you can do that I cannot take. I am Valtur's daughter. You are not strong enough to break me._

He had wanted to hurt her, Valtur's daughter. Had burned with the need.

He felt dirty.

The door to the room opened than, and Hogun was saying, "I have more ointment and bandages."

Loki did not look at the other man, instead staring at the wrist he still balanced in his palm before placing it at her side. It felt wrong to touch her.

"The pain will return. This will help, but it will need to be reapplied." Hogun was next to him, putting put a jar on the table beside the bed. "Do you want me to stay with her?"

"No." Loki coughed, for his voice was rough. "She is my responsibility."

Hogun did not move. "You knew dark elves would come for her?"

He sounded accusing, and Loki's lips curled into a twisted smirk, his righteous anger a reflex after so many years. "Yes, I knew they would try to kill her. And I want her killed at her father's hand, and then I thought that I would kill him...and I want to anger the queen of Svartalfheim so that she will start a war and eventually topple Thor, and then I can resume the throne of Asgard." He glanced at Hogun, his eyes burning. "Is that what you want to hear?"

Hogun's face was unyielding. "No, I do not think that anymore. But you can be impulsive, still, Loki."

"I want Valtur to try to take her from here, so that he can be captured," he hissed, and moved to stare at his wife. "Can you blame me for wanting that?"

"No," Hogun admitted after a moment. "But I do not know if I want these consequences."

"I did not think this would happen. I did not _want _this to happen," Loki growled, and he put a hand to his lips, pulling at them as he tried to think. "And I do not think it was an elf that did this." His brow furrowed as he looked down at Asrior. He could feel the dark magic in the wound, for the trace of it would linger as she healed. But the other magic he had felt from her before was gone…

Scoffing, Hogun asked, "How do you know? They used dark magic against her."

"I can feel elves," Loki said distractedly, staring at his wife. "I can feel their magic. What I felt earlier was different…"

"How? I see no difference in her wound."

"No… the weapon was cursed, but not by the person who wielded it." Loki paused, thinking hard, and then he pushed to stand after a minute; and a new emotion lit an ember in his chest. "An Asgardian did this."

The warrior did not look shocked. Instead, his shoulders slumped as though defeated. "Yes…this is not the first attack on her."

"The wall... I know that now…" Loki began, but Hogun was shaking his head. "Someone tried to poison her."

"Pois… what?" He stared at the other man, his face writ with confusion. "When?"

"When you were gone." Hogun was looking at the bed, his voice quieter. "She was sent a tea tray for morning, and she gave some of the cream to her pet. The animal is dead."

"You mean the kitten?" Loki was trying to grasp the fact that the tiny creature that had so vexed him had been killed. "But poison would not kill Asrior."

Hogun shook his head. "Most likely not, but she has dark elf blood in her. They are not wholly immune to some toxins. And it still could have made her very ill, though we are not sure what was used. She said things were moved in the greenhouse she works in, and she was followed—she thought someone was seeking to scare her."

"But…" Loki's gaze moved back to his wife's small form. "Why?"

"Do you really need to ask that?" Hogun's voice was dry now, and he turned toward the door. "I should tend to the animals and make a bed up in the main room. We have long nights ahead of us."

….

As the days went by, it became obvious to Loki that Asrior was familiar enduring wounds such as the ones she most recently bore. Even if he had not seen her scars, he would have known, for when she woke to half-consciousness, her movements spoke of a ritual learned over time.

She kept her eyes closed and concentrated on her breathing, as though the long and slow movements helped dull the hurt, and she clasped her hands together tightly; and it was as though her mind went completely away from the cottage at times. She would move her mouth in silent words most often, though sometimes she would whisper loudly enough for him to hear her speak to her mother. Sometimes, when her breathing hitched as though the pain were growing worse, she would begin to hum a tune that was slow and low and almost melancholy.

Sometimes she told herself to be brave.

He sat and listened, with each movement…each word feeling like the prick of a knife in his skin.

Her eyes opened fully only once, and she blinked as though looking through a haze. And when her eyes found him, she tried to speak, and then licked her lips, for the only sound that came out was a croak.

Loki pushed the chair he'd made his home closer to the bed, his voice quiet as he urged, "Asrior, don't. Don't try to talk yet. You have been attacked by dark magic, and you need to rest…"

But she snorted. "You are stupid."

The words were scratchy, and he was offended despite himself, for he had been attending to the elf almost nonstop since her wounding. He had bathed her and dressed her and cleaned her wounds. He had poured water and broth down her throat, and had only moved from her side when Hogun demanded he rest.

And he had allowed only Hlin to sit with her during his infrequent breaks—and that only after learning that the boy had taken to sleeping outside of Asrior's door in an effort to protect her.

He had even permitted the boy to put a songbird in a cage next to her bed.

"I see even dark magic is no cure for your tongue," he said after a moment, trying to sound patient. "But I must insist that you rest."

"You are not like him."

Her eyes were heavy, and the words were so soft that he almost did not hear them.

"What… what did you say?"

She was trying to focus on him, and she sighed as though he were the one not making sense. "You are not like my father. I said you were once. I was wrong."

"Asrior…"

"I was very angry when I said it. Not without cause, mind you."

Her eyes were closing again.

"I know." He wanted to touch her, to push her hair back from her face, but it was wrong…he did not have the right to do so. "Please try to rest…"

"And now you know what he did to me," she said, almost mumbling. "You are ruled by sentiment more than you admit….so you will think your injustice equal to his, even though it is not." Her eyes cracked open. "You will blame yourself and think yourself like him. Because you are stupid that way."

Her eyes closed again and did not open.

Loki's throat was so tight it hurt.

She did not speak again, not while she was at the cottage.

And after four nights there, Hogun determined she was able to be moved to Okershall.

It was only when Loki carried her from the cottage and along the path to the hill that led to the castle that she stirred. Her eyes were shut tight and her body was still as she lay against him, but she pressed her hands together and finally spoke, her words almost indecipherable. He had to bend his head to hear them.

"Be safe… be strong. Be brave… Be brave."

"You are brave," Loki said, his voice gruff, knowing she did not hear him.

But Hlin, who walking behind him, the gilded birdcage in his hand, was listening.

"She is the bravest person I have ever known, my lord," the boy said.

Loki did not answer; his throat was burning again.

But that did not matter, for after a heartbeat, the bird in the gilded cage chirped; and Hlin, sounding bolstered at the lilting sound said, "She has the heart of a king." And because he was still angry at Loki, added, "There is much you can learn from her, my lord."

But Loki did not rise to the bait; he simply grunted and tightened his hold on Asrior, his voice a whisper as he bent his head toward his wife.

"You are brave."

* * *

Please forgive me, I found a few really dumb errors that I've edited. Last minute changes that meant errors. GAH! appalling! I was just anxious to get the chapter up, because I wasn't sure of my schedule today...and I did not want to keep you waiting.

**And now, comments...there are a lot of them, so I've condensed some. Thank you all for reviewing, it really does mean a bunch:**

**Sephe**-Yes, really. Poor Ragnar. But we've had the reveal, and I sincerely hope it was worth the wait. Thanks so very much for reviewing.

**CeliaSingsSongs**-I am cruel, aren't I? :D Thanks for the review…and the update ended up taking longer than expected, sorry about that. Here's to quicker writing this time.

**jnotjane**-Thank you very much for the kind words, and I am very happy you felt the feels. I tend to like cliffhangers, so you might expect a few more. Though I was nice this time and allowed Loki to see everything and have his own chapter to process things…though he's got a bit more processing to do.

**todrownandburn**-Yay, you stayed up late! I really like that, because I've done the same thing before when caught up reading something. Thank you very much for reviewing, and I hope you continue to enjoy upcoming angst (and not angst). ;)

**NoVacancyMind**-Thank you for such nice words! Seriously. And, um… Cars/l-Used-2011-Audi-R8-5.2L-Quattro-Spyder-t3736 1#listing=54727192 :D I hope you enjoyed the follow up. And really, cars are not necessary, just read and review…because it makes my day when I get a chapter just right.

**Zippythewondersquirrel**-thanks for the review, and yes, sadly, Rangar. And now that Loki knows, just know that his comeuppance—or his making up for his actions—takes time.

**yvkrothe**-Hlin is well worth liking! Thanks for your review, and Loki indeed feels (and will feel as he fully understands what his wife has been through) like a piece of crap. We might even see Kagoq next update!

**Fat Old Sun**-First, thank you for the review. And second, Loki is Loki, and he will never be gushy or admit that he is sometimes hugely sentimental…but he is and will be extremely grateful to Hlin for seeing what he refused to see and for being so protective of her. He just has his own way of showing those kind of feelings.

**BlooAngels**-your review is very nice to read, and I loved it. Thanks so much, and know that Valtur gets his in the end. You just have to wait and see how. And Birgitta/Sif/Heimdal isn't really touched on in the story…it's already long and detailed enough that I have to constantly go to my notes…but, yes, I am sure that both Loki and Heimdal would want to puke at the idea of being related through marriage (much as Tony did not like to hear that he shares personality traits with a certain Asgardian god).

**London calling**-Thanks for reviewing! And you were right, he saw them! I really hope you enjoyed the reveal.

**Candy flaps**-Yes, I am a cat killer...but it was for the good of the story! And as you can see, Loki did indeed get to see all (literally, lol). I hope you liked the reveal, and thanks so much for the review.

**Kateskates24** and **sidlewild** and **hfjhghjgk** -Thank you so much for reviewing! I am getting on with it, :D, and I hope the wait was not too long for this chapter. And Loki indeed feels really bad, though he's not fully processed the extent of his own behavior just yet.

**loui**-hmmmm, bad feeling…. Well, Asrior's not out of the woods, there's people out to get her. And we'll find out about Birgitta very soon. Thanks so much for writing!

**Crede Biron**-I am a bad person, and I do feel bad, but not really, because Ragnar had to die for the story, so… She *does* get new, um… well, you'll see. And Loki is not above imagining himself with five goddesses (or doing more than imagining), but that night it was really about taking the one that Thor really really really wanted. Thanks for the review and for reading, and I hope this current chapter was worth reading.

**HarryPotterFreakie**-I am beyond delighted if that was indeed the longest comment of your life :D. Thanks for reviewing. And I lol'd at you and your puppy…and, yes, Loki is going to want to fuck people up and might even get a chance to do so.

**Shelly** and **Lola** and **SissyPerigrin**-First, thanks for reviewing, and second, I am hoping the suspense in waiting wasn't too much. People will get Hulk smashed, and there will be more of Loki's pov soon, and I will update as soon as I can.

**Amakitkat** and **WrongRightBlackAndWhite**-thanks to both of you for reviewing! I'm sorry the last chapter was sad (but not too sorry) and I hope you enjoyed this one. Loki will be kind in his own way, and as you can see, now that he knows, things will start to change.

**dido**-Thanks for reading and reviewing, and there will be Hulk smashing and Loki being jealous still. This last chapter saw the reveal…and here's not more epic Loki angst.

**Sammi**-You did not have to beg long, because almost as soon as I saw the email with your review, I was posting the next update. You got lucky, lol. Thank you very much for reading my story, and for taking the time to review, and I am hoping you enjoyed this current chapter. As I've said in other comments, we'll see the dwarf very soon, and YES, Hlin is ticked at Loki. And will continue to be ticked as he learns the extent of Loki's manipulations. And here's a spoiler for the next update: a certain characters says, "And if you ever doubt the extent that I will go to protect you or my sincerity in attending to you, remember that I am allowing this to happen."


	16. 15-Actions speak what words cannot

A/N-I know I say this every time, but a sincere thanks for reading and reviewing and following this story. It is incredibly awesome and humbling to read your thoughts about this fic.

There's not a lot of action in this or the next update, just a lot of healing that needs to happen. One of my favorite scenes happens here, though. And I'll tease you be telling you that Cap will be making an appearance in a few updates when a visit by to Midgard by certain Asgardians is made.

Thanks again, guys, and please let me know what you think!

O/Cs are mine, all else Marvel's.

* * *

**Chapter 15-Actions speak what words cannot  
**

The first thing he knew as he came into waking was that someone was watching him.

Loki quickly pushed himself up so that he was sitting on the settee, searching instinctively for Saldis or Hlin, but they were not there. It was only then that he looked over to the bed and saw that Asrior was sitting up against her pillows, her blue gaze trained on him.

Trying not to show his discomfiture at being caught sleeping, he stood and said, "You are awake."

And then he moved to the chair by her bed. She did not say anything as he slipped across the room, simply watching him through eyes that veiled any emotion.

He pressed his lips together as he sat and regarded her for a moment, before leaning forward so that his elbows were on his knees and asking, "How do you feel?"

She opened her mouth and then closed it, and then cleared her throat, finally rasping, "As though I was struck through by an arrow that was cursed by dark magic."

Loki almost smiled at that.

"You remember what happened then."

"Yes. We were attacked in the woods." She sounded very weak, and her face was still pallid, and he wanted to tell her lie back down. But she pushed herself even higher on the pillows. "Hlin has been with me here? He was not hurt?"

"He is fine. And, yes, he has helped take care of you."

She sighed, her body relaxing slightly. "I thought I heard him shouting at you. I was not sure if I imagined it."

"He has been shouting at me on a regular basis these past ten days," Loki admitted, and though he smirked, it was not directed at her. "You would have enjoyed it very much. And I daresay now that you are back with us that he will endeavor to do so again in hopes of entertaining you."

It was too much to hope that she would smile at his self-mockery; and, indeed, her eyes grew serious, and she spoke tentatively. "You… you helped take care of me." When he dipped his head in confirmation, she licked her lips before saying, "So you know. You know about the scars…" Her eyes widened as the last word slowly left her mouth, and she repeated, more surely, "You know about the scars."

Loki sat up, watching her closely, for her face was a mixture of wonder and relief.

"Yes, Asrior, I know what your father did to you. And I…I think I know how he cursed you."

He had expected her to look surprised at his deduction, but instead, she pushed herself so that she was sitting up in the bed, and her eyes held his with unwavering intensity.

"You will not pity me."

Asrior's hair and nightdress were rumpled, and the only color in her face was the dark circles under her eyes. She looked exhausted and frail, and he did not know how she did not collapse onto the bed; but her face spoke of resolve and her eyes burned fiercely.

"You… you are…" he began.

"You will not pity me," she repeated, the words slow and clear, and she had never looked stronger than she did in that moment. "Not for what Valtur did to me. Not for what you did to me or for what happened to me here. I have endured enough in my lifetime. I will not allow myself to be an object of your pity."

He stared at her, her words as to his own actions striking him silent.

_Not for what you did to me_.

"Do you understand?"

And then he pressed his lips together and blinked. "Believe me when I say that I do not regard you as an object of pity. Far from it."

He wondered if she realized the depth of his sincerity; he had realized the truth of it only as the words left his lips. Asrior stirred many feelings, but pity was least among them.

She leaned back into her pillows at that, letting out a long breath that spoke of her fatigue. "Remember it." And she closed her eyes. "You know about the curse?"

"Yes. I could feel magic on you before I saw your scars. I thought it was simply because of your dark elf blood," he explained, shifting in his chair. "After I saw your back, that feeling went away. And Saldis…it was the same…"

"She saw them," Asrior said, her eyes still closed. "She probably tried to tell you before and could not…not until you knew yourself."

"I know. I spoke to her about your injuries, and she was surprised that she could tell me. She told me what happened when she tried to say something before. I thought… I thought you had cursed her when I first felt the magic on her. I thought you could do magic. Hlin tells me that you cannot."

"No." She opened her eyes then and began looking around the room, taking in the sea green silk covering the great windows on the other side of her bed and the fire pit that glowed in the middle of the room, and then the pale gold-colored sofa he'd been lying on when he fell asleep. "Why am I not in my chamber?"

"This is your new chamber. You are under my protection now, and you need to be near me. My own chambers are just across the hall."

She did not speak or show any emotion, her eyes continuing to study her new surroundings.

He chose his next words carefully. "Asrior, I hope you understand…I will not divorce you now. Not unless you want it to happen, and in that case, I will ensure that I am the one at fault in the eyes of court. I…I cannot in good conscience do otherwise." She was looking at the songbird whose cage sat near her bed. "When I say that you are under my protection, I mean it; you have every safeguard that I can offer—my name, my power, my place in the royal house of Asgard—everything."

"And if I choose to leave?"

"We cannot divorce until something is done about your father. But if you decide that is what you want to do later, you will remain a member of the house of Thor and you will keep the advantages that a connection with us offers even if we divorce. You will also have the means to live in comfort and do whatever you wish."

Asrior turned to look at him again. "You can promise me this? Have you spoken with Thor?"

"Yes," he said softly. "And even if I had not, he would not refuse such a request if it came from me. And I will not send you back to Svartalfheim, Asrior, unless that is what you wish."

Her blue eyes were regarding him steadily, and she sank deeper into her pillows. "I want Kagoq. That is all I have ever wanted."

He was not surprised at the request. "The dwarf?"

"Yes. I want him here with me. He is…he is my family."

Loki paused before speaking, for he feared she would not believe him. "He is under Sif's protection, and I cannot force her to allow him here. She is not…overly fond of you." Asrior's eyes flickered, and she looked down at her hands, which were clutching her bedcovers. "I can ask Thor to intercede, but… You have to understand that I am now bound by your curse. I cannot tell Sif what your father did to you. And if anyone asks why I suddenly think it necessary to have the dwarf near you when I have been striving for the opposite for so long, I cannot fully explain why. It may take time convincing others."

"How can you be so sure that you are bound by the curse?" From the look in her eyes, he knew she did not trust him. "You have powerful magic yourself."

"I have already tried to tell Thor of your injuries, without success. It was most…frustrating," he admitted, and he frowned at the bitter look that flitted across her face. Loki wondered how many times she had tried to tell someone about her abuse; and how often she had tried to seek help before giving up hope.

"But you will try to convince them?"

"I know it holds little weight with you, but you have my word that I will," he promised. She gave him a reluctant nod, her eyes still wary, and when she did not say anything he asked, "What has he done, your dwarf, that you are so loyal to him?"

Asrior's mouth turned down, and her eyes moved back to her hands. "He protected me. He… he shielded me as best he could from Valtur's anger. And Kagoq's tongue was cut out because he was trying to protect me when I was being punished. It was when Valtur cursed us." She shook her head, sounding distressed. "Do not ask more. I… I am tired…"

Letting out a slow breath, he sat back in the chair. "I understand that you are weary now, but if we are to deal well together, you must not be afraid to speak the truth to me, Asrior."

"I am not lying!" The way her eyes flashed at him was familiar.

"I am not saying you lie," he said quickly before giving her an apologetic look. "I am losing my silver tongue again."

And though she frowned, she did not continue to argue; so he scratched at his neck and tried to find the right words.

"We—my brother and I—we still have to do something about your father. And while we are—by we, I mean you and I—while we are waiting…" He sighed heavily, frustrated. "Damn it, we will probably be here together for a while, and the two of us must find a way to move forward. I will need to know things about your childhood if I am to convince Thor to get your Kagoq for you. So when I ask you to speak the truth, I meant that you can talk to me without fear or… or judgment. You can rant and rail against me or anything you wish. But you do not need to hold either your feelings or the truth back any longer."

She just stared at him, her eyes pensive, as though weighing his words. And so he took another deep breath before pushing forward, his voice growing quieter as he tried to acknowledge his own faults, "And I will be honest with you about everything. You can ask me anything. I will not lie to you again, Asrior."

She scoffed.

"I am sincere," he insisted.

"No doubt you wish me to believe it," she said, sinking further into the pillows, looking petulant.

"What cause have I to lie now?" He was trying to control his voice, for it threatened to rise with his temper. "I know the truth as to what happened to you. I do not seek to trick you….I am protecting you from your father. I have even offered to stay married to you as a recompense for my treatment of you."

Her mouth dropped open and then snapped shut, and her face began to turn red. "Perhaps I find the reward lacking. Do you think me so… so addled that I would find marriage to you fair compensation for what was done to me?"

"Do not disparage this honor." He pushed to stand, his hold on his temper growing thinner. "I am a prince of Asgard, and I do not offer a continued union lightly." Her scowl deepened, and he growled, annoyed with himself at sounding so peeved. "You are not making this easy, Asrior."

She looked at him as though he were as dimwitted as the monster. "You do not deserve this to be easy." And then her eyes were closing, and she turned her head away from him. "I mean it when I say I am tired." The color that had briefly invaded her cheeks grew dim, and a pinched sound entered her voice. "The wound burns more now."

He watched as her breathing began its familiar rhythm when she was hurting—slow and steady as she concentrated on enduring the pain, and the sight of it angered him. She was obviously accustomed to dealing with such trauma on her own, and she was so damned strong in her solitude that he almost envied her.

Frigga had been with him during his worst days, when he'd been imprisoned for his attack on Midgard. She'd been able to visit him—her cool hands offering comfort as he'd endured the pain of punishment,her mouth offering soothing words—and though he'd railed against her, had demanded she leave and stay away, he'd still known that she would be there if he asked, as would Thor and Odin.

Loki was very well aware of his sins, and he was realizing with striking clarity his wife's lack of offenses; it struck him as bizarrely unfair that Asrior had only memories to sustain her when he'd had so much more despite his dishonor. And his hands began to itch as he watched her, as though they wanted to touch her. It was not right, and it was clear that she would not welcome any comfort or relief from him. But despite all reason, he wanted to sit by her and touch her hair so that she would know she was not alone.

But he nodded instead after a moment, saying, "I will send Saldis in to help with the ointment. And when you are feeling up to it, Hlin would like to speak to you. He has been waiting for days to do so."

Her eyes flickered open for a moment. "Perhaps later."

He moved to the door then, opening it before pausing to say, "I… I am pleased that you are getting better."

But a look at the bed showed that she was turned away from him, and he pressed his lips together before quietly leaving the room.

….

"Are you able to walk to the windows to look?"

Asrior smiled wanly up at Hlin. "Saldis bullied me into bathing earlier. Do you really want me to walk again so soon?"

"I can always carry you," he said, sounding determined. "You must get the windows if you are to see your surprise."

"Surprise?" She looked at the flowers by the bed and the bowl full of fruit that he had brought in with him. "You have already bought me enough."

"This is not my surprise for you." He gave her a mysterious looking smile.

"Alright," she muttered, slowly moving her legs to the side of the bed. "Though you do not need to carry me. Just…stay with me."

And as she pushed to standing, the boy moved to her side and took her arm, allowing her to lean on his as they walked. Her legs were shaky as they moved together to the window, and the wound on her chest throbbed dully. Asrior felt as though she were a soggy piece of bread, but after a moment, Hlin looked at her and smiled, saying, "You look much better now that you are awake."

She looked at the newly-cleaned robe and nightdress Saldis had given her. "I imagine that I smell much better as well. It is hard to believe it has been so many days."

When they were at the window, she slipped her had from his arm to place it against the pane, and when he noticed her grimace, he gave her an apprehensive look, asking, "Did… did it hurt?"

Arior's eyes widened, for he had been with her during the attack and as she'd healed. Surely he knew the answer to that.

But Hlin made a face, and said, "I meant…before. When you were hurt before this, was it as bad? You were… you were in quite a bit of pain at times."

And he was looking at the bandages that wrapped around her shoulder, covering both wounds, their bulk obvious through her nightclothes.

"It was bad before, but…different. This was worse. It's deeper inside me, I suppose." She bit her lip and stared out the window at the lawn below, remembering the wound to her leg and how its pain had been deeper as well. "I managed to endure the whip. I do not think I could endure this as often."

Hlin did not say anything, and a quick glance showed that he looked ill.

So with a bracing voice, Asrior said, "I thought there was a surprise?"

"Right…" he said, shaking his head as though to clear his thoughts, and he moved to lean upon the window himself. "Just wait. They should be here any moment."

Asrior looked down at the expanse of green lawn that led to the orchard. "They? I don't…"

And then she saw Hogun rounding the corner of the far castle wall, each of his hands holding a rope, which themselves were loosely tied to the two ponies.

"They are coming to live here now," Hlin said, giving her a pleased look.

A smile spread across her face as she watched the animals walk across the yard, and she looked at the boy next to her with a mischievous glint in her eye. "It is a good thing that the sight of them alone does not make me ill."

His face turned a little red, but he stepped away from her in mock fear; and then he looked down at the yard, saying, "You should have seen Loki's face when Hogun told him that you are the ponies' new owner. Speaking of which..."

Following his gaze, she saw that her husband was stalking across the lawn to where Hogun walked with the two beasts. They both stopped and began to talk, Loki's tall and lean body a contrast next to the other's bulkier figure.

After a moment, the warrior looked up at the castle. His eyes scanned along it until they stopped at the window where Asrior stood with Hlin, and she raised the hand that rested against the window in greeting.

After a second, Hogun lifted one of his in return, still holding the rope. And he smiled.

The sight was so surprising that her mouth gaped open, but the 'o' shape was quickly replaced by a smile of her own. She raised her hand higher, and beaming down at him, she said, "I see he is…"

But her words trailed off, for she noticed that Loki was staring up as well, his face enigmatic as he watched her, his body seeming to bristle with some kind of force that was hard to contain.

She coughed, lowering her hand, and continued, "…he is willing to overlook my parentage now."

The men were walking away, Hogun leading the ponies and Loki still talking, his hands twitching at his sides.

As they watched them, Hlin said, "Hogun is a fair man. He understands now that you were Valtur's victim as well."

"And your master? Is he fair?"

"He can be." Hlin smirked. "Though sometimes it takes him longer to get around to it." And then his eyes grew serious. "He has been very committed to seeking justice for you. About the only time he left your bedside was to consult with Hogun as to the search for who hurt you."

The men and ponies were around the other corner of the wall, heading to the stables, and Asrior turned back to the bed. "The only time? But…he visited Thor. He told me he spoke to him."

Laughing at her confusion, he allowed her grasp his arm again and said, "Yes, he did. Maybe even when he was in this room."

"Thor visited here?"

"You do not know the extent of Loki's magic, do you?" Hlin grinned at her, explaining, "He is a master at astral projection. He can transport as astral copy of himself…more than one, actually…anywhere. Across a room, across Asgard, across realms even. He says it is most useful during battle."

"And this is how he spoke to Thor?" she asked as they neared her bed.

"Yes."

She let go of his arm as she sat down. "He said…he told me that you shouted at him. I could hear you."

"Could you?" he sat on the edge of the bed as she slipped under the bedcovers. "Good. I made sure he was aware of my anger with him over how he has treated you. I… Well, I am still not pleased with everything he has done."

As she settled herself against the pillows, she threw him a cautionary look. "Do not push him too far, Hlin. I would feel very bad if your defending me created a rift."

"Loki has been most patient with my moods," he told her, his eyes growing serious. "I think he is very well aware that I am right to be upset with him."

"Patient? That does not like sound like him at all."

Hlin grinned again. "Yes, very patient. He lets me watch over you when he is not around. He let me bring you the songbird. He has allowed Hogun to give you the ponies. He…he has allowed more than you can imagine on your behalf."

Something in his eyes had her saying, "What are you not telling me?"

But the boy shook his head. "You will find out in a few days."

"Another surprise?"

He smirked.

"If I had more strength, I would throw something at you," she muttered. "I still might."

"Just go to sleep," he said, standing and moving to the chair as her eyes began to drift shut.

A sudden hope flared in her chest, though, and one of her eyes cracked open. "Is it Kagoq?"

Hlin shook his head. "I'm sorry, no. It is not him." But the look entered his eyes again. "But it is still very good."

She sighed and closed her eyes once more, deciding that she would try to get him to tell her what the surprise was later.

He would not though. Not when Saldis came up with their supper and set up a table between the bed and chair. He simply clucked at her to eat more when she would ask, and by the time she had eaten enough bread and soup to his liking, she was well beyond irritated.

Her mood remained when Loki arrived to sit with her after, telling Hlin that work remained for him downstairs. When the boy left, her husband sat on the pale gold settee and spread books around him, opening one and saying, "You should try to rest."

"I am well rested," she told him, annoyed at how creaky her voice sounded. She knew she was being unfair, but the constant throb of the wound and her continued weakness vexed her.

Loki raised a brow. "We can always talk if you'd like."

She was about to agree, but when her mouth opened, it was to yawn instead. Scowling at the god as though it were his fault, she pulled the bedcovers to her chin and rolled over so that she faced away from him.

"You do not need to sit in here with me now that I am getting well."

"Yes, I do, Asrior, for whoever did this must come to understand that you are well protected at all times. And I refuse to sit outside of your door as Hlin did in the tower when there is more than enough room in here."

He sounded entirely reasonable, which only served to annoy her more.

"How am I to rest when there is so much light," she grumbled, and almost as soon as she said it, the torches around her dimmed.

"Better?" he asked, his voice as soft as the blanket she was wrapped in, and she knew that he was determined to remain unruffled.

She wanted to tell him that she was unimpressed with his display of power, but clamped her mouth shut instead, deciding it best to ignore him. The wound's burn was pulsing harder, so Asrior shut her eyes and tried to concentrate on her breathing; she would wait for Saldis to come in later and ask her to help apply the medicine, and in the meantime, she would pretend that Loki was not there.

But she fell asleep, and when she woke, the room was dark save for a lone torch across the room. The throb in the wound had increased, too, so she turned her head to the settee to see if the housekeeper was sitting there.

It was empty, though, and while she wondered at the fact that she had been left alone, Asrior pushed up to sit and slowly edged from the bed. She needed the ointment, and she needed it soon.

She was halfway to the table where the jar sat when the door opened, and she heard Loki's silken voice.

"What are you doing from bed?"

With a quick glance over her shoulder, she asked, "Where is Saldis?"

"She retired for the evening. I just went across the hall to find a book I need." Asrior realized that her discomfort must have shown, for he frowned as he shut the door behind him, ordering, "Get back on the bed, and I will get your medicine."

Frowning at his tone, she said, "You do not have to…"

But he was much quicker than her and was already at the table gathering the medicine and clean bandages, and he looked at her as though she were a stubborn child. "Do I have to carry you?"

She began muttering under her breath, but moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Her eyes were wary as he moved to sit next to her, and when he said, "You will need to loosen your gown," her body grew rigid.

She lifted her hand, and her fingers fumbled at the buttons on the front of the very old, too-large gown that Saldis had said would be easier to wear while still wounded; and when she finally opened it enough to see the bandages, she muttered, "I do not understand why Saldis did not wake me earlier."

"Your sleep was peaceful, and she did not want to disturb you," he said, opening the jar, and when he turned to her and saw how she still clutched the front of her gown in a protective manner, he sighed, and with long-suffering voice said, "There is no need to act the timid maiden, Asrior. I tended to you in the aftermath of your attack and have seen everything there is of you to see. There is nothing the gown hides that will shock me."

She yanked it over her shoulder at that and glared at him, her irritation turning to something entirely different.

"Your hair." His hand paused halfway to the bandage, and the eyes that stared at the strands flowing over her shoulder were shuttered.

Her teeth gritted as she pulled the hair away from her injured side and roughly pushed it over the other shoulder, staring at his hands as they began to pull the bandage from her front. They were large and sure and moved deftly, their touch surprisingly gentle, and as he moved, her breathing hitched and her resentment mounted.

She wanted to nettle him, to shed some of her anger so that he could bear it. She wanted him to react with something other than this new and maddening patience. And driven by an impulse she did not fully understand, Asrior decided that if he wanted her to speak truthfully, then she would do so now while he looked upon her wounds and scars.

"I was seven the first time Valtur used dark magic on me," she said, her voice hard as she stared at him.

Loki looked up, his pale green eyes meeting hers briefly, but he did not say anything. Instead, he began to concentrate on his task with even more care, moving his hand so that he could press the ointment into her wound.

Her skin prickled at the feel of his fingers against her; and the sight of his dark head bent over her, his lashes throwing shadows on his face as he focused on her wound, made her even more determined.

"He cursed a flame and pulled my wrist over it so that it would burn, for I had the temerity to cry for my mother in front of him."

Loki did not look up.

"Valtur did not like weakness, so I had to learn not to shed tears or show fear, even when he beat me. He used his fists then, on me at least."

Her husband folded a bandage into a square and held it over the wound, saying only, "Here. Hold this while I tend to the other."

She put her hand on the bandage and jerked her body around so that her back was to him, and when he pulled the gown down in the back, exposing her more fully, she ignored the tightness in her chest and pressed on.

"He had a whip that was cursed as the arrows were, and he liked to use that on Kagoq. I had been with him for almost seven years when he said that I had to learn to use it against Kagoq as well, and when I refused, he made be take the beating in his place."

He was still silent. She felt his breath against her skin and his fingers on her back and the coolness of the ointment as it began to relieve more of the wound's sting, and she pressed on, wanting her words to cut into him.

"And after he cursed us, he used it more often against me. And after Kagoq was freed, he used it even more. He enjoyed inflicting pain, but I learned not to cry out when the whip fell, for I refused to give him the pleasure of it. And it did not matter that I could not tell anyone what he did, for there was no one to tell. Even when we journeyed to Asgard." She pressed her lips together to still their trembling. "My own sister did not even look at me."

Loki was wrapping the larger bandage around her shoulder again to hold the others in place against her wounds, and as his hands slipped away from her body and pulled the gown over her shoulder, she laughed cynically. "I supposed that I am fortunate that he wanted to sell me into marriage, or else he'd have done even worse than injure my back."

She felt the mattress move as he stood, and she turned to watch as he walked to the table.

Incensed at his refusal to acknowledge her words, she lashed out more. "When I agreed to marry you I thought that you would see what Valtur had done to me, that I might finally tell someone. But do you know that I was worried about when I waited for you on our wedding night? I worried that you would be angry at me for deceiving you. That you would be repulsed at the sight of my scars."

His hands, which had been so sure as they had tended to her, fumbled as he put the jar and dirty bandages on the table. She saw then that a nerve in his jaw ticked, and she felt triumphant and ill at the same time.

"You had courted perfection before marrying me," she continued harshly, pushing the knife deeper. "I thought that you would find me unworthy, and I wanted…more than almost anything, I wanted to be worthy of you."

Loki was unmoving, staring at the table, his hands flexing at his sides, and Asrior stared at him, waiting for him to speak. The silence stretched for so long that it was eventually taken over by the sound of her heartbeat.

When he spoke, his voice was thick and his words simple. "What do you want from me?"

She took a deep breath before speaking for she was not sure of the answer.

"To… to listen. To hear the truth."

He nodded, still looking at the table, and Asrior had to press her lips together, for suddenly, more than anything, she wanted to tell him that she wanted his comfort.

Such a thought was insane.

So she slipped back under the covers as quickly as she could, as though shielding herself from her wayward impulses. And she lay back against her pillows, watching as he walked over to the settee and pulled a book onto his lap. He did not open it, though, and his face was shadowed in the room's dim light.

"Do you want to tell me more?" he asked after a moment, staring at the book.

"No." The pain in her wounds had lessened, but her chest ached. She was wearier than she ever remembered being. "I want to sleep."

He looked at her then, his eyes shining and intent. "I am sorry, Asrior." She could tell that his face was strained, and it looked as though he wanted to say more; but he turned to look at the book again.

Asrior suddenly wanted to curl into a ball and cry. But she couldn't, even if she tried, so she ignored the burning in her throat and turned her head to stare at the windows, hoping that her body would give in to its fatigue. She was about to close her eyes when Loki spoke again.

"And despite my scorn, I have never found you unworthy."

His voice was muted, the words a silken rasp, and she slowly moved to look at him. His eyes were still staring at the book, but the expression on his face was almost perplexed, as though she had said something dense. His eyes were so dark they looked black; and she noticed that his body had tensed, and he seemed to speak to himself when he said, "Your scars make no difference."

Her breath caught in her throat as she understood the sentiment of his words.

He pushed a lock of raven-colored hair back from his forehead with an impatient hand and thrust the book open, as though forcing himself to read, his face shuttering.

Loki did not find her physically unappealing. It disconcerted him.

Asrior turned her head again, and a fluttering moved from her chest to her gut. She was not sure how to react to this startling admission, so she pulled the cover around her more tightly and thought that it would be impossible to sleep now that her nerve endings were on edge.

She wanted to talk more, and she wanted to hide from him, and she wasn't sure what to do.

But the sound of the pages turning and Loki's breathing eventually lulled her into slumber. She did not dream during the night, and her sleep was peaceful, though she was vaguely aware when Loki left the room as the sun rose and Saldis came to sit in his place.

She had also felt it when he sat upon the bed at some point deep in the night, after the sound of the pages stopped and the lone torch was put out. And she knew when he brushed the hair away from her face with a touch so light it felt like a bird's wing and when he placed his hand upon the back of her head, resting it there for a moment. She wanted to ask him to keep touching her, for the feeling was soothing, and it had been so long since she'd felt such comfort; but she slipped deeper into sleep instead.

….

He did not like asking Hogun to the castle. It was not simply because of Asrior, not now. Since seeing evidence of her abuse, the warrior had given every indication that her presence no longer bothered him. Indeed, he'd made it clear that he considered her protection as much his duty as Loki's.

No... It was more.

Despite living in his lands, Hogun was not his to rule. Not really. Their history went too far back and was much too complicated. And when he asked the warrior do to anything, Loki was well aware that Hogun might outright refuse. The potential defiance in the face of his authority made him uncomfortable.

But Hogun always did as he asked, agreeing now to visit the castle when they discussed their efforts to find the person responsible for Asrior's wounds.

And as Loki worked at his desk, the warrior stood beside it, telling him of news from the village.

"Emil has been spreading discord in the village. He found work with one of the regional governors and stopped the other day, saying he was driving through on his way to Gaula. Though not many there will listen to him."

"Well, someone obviously listened to whoever is responsible," Loki muttered, looking up from the paper he wrote upon.

"He stopped by a handful of farms in the area as well. Including the Doanson farm."

Loki's brows rose at that. "We placed alarms near there. If Doan or his sons is consorting with dark elves, we would know."

"Yes, but the sons ride out into other regions well beyond the scope of the alarms. And his sons know the woods here. I have caught them hunting without permission more than once."

"I need to know when one of them travels again, then." He pushed the paper away from him and stared over at Hogun. "Perhaps I can make to follow him."

"I can see what I can do." And when Loki didn't say more, the warrior asked, "Are you still trying to lure Valtur here?"

"Of course not," he said, scowling. "Thor and I are still debating our next course of action. And we cannot do anything until Asrior is fully better. If we go through with plans to lure him to Okershall, she will have to be made aware and agree to it."

Hogun smirked, and seeing it, Loki's mouth twisted, knowing the other man was recalling the day Hlin had learned of the plot with the alarms and launched a vicious verbal attack on the lot of them for putting Asrior in danger.

"How is she doing?" Hogun asked then, and he moved a hand into his pocket.

"Better." Loki busied himself arranging the papers on his desk. Asrior was still very weak, but she showed improvement each day. Her moods were always shifting, however, and she would move from calm to furious with alarming quickness.

When he heard something hard click on his desk, his eyes moved to look at the wooden object Hogun had placed there.

"What is that?"

"It's for Asrior," Hogun explained. "It's a whistle."

"Yes, I can see it's a whistle. What is it for?" Loki asked, trying to keep the irritation from his voice.

Everyone kept giving her gifts. Hlin showered her with the flowers that were now growing in her greenhouse, and Saldis had almost exhausted their supply of peaches held in storage for winter. Nessa had even sent over special apple bread from the Halfjornson farm, along with a drawing from the children and a note begging Asrior to visit soon.

And though he knew the little imps probably only did so because they missed the treats that she would hand out, he asked Saldis to send over a basket of chocolate the next time Hlin rode out.

It was only going to get worse, too, for he had agreed to the Midgardians' plans.

Hogun was saying, "The whistle is for her to teach the golden reedling to sing. Its mother did not have time to teach it much before it fell from its nest. Asrior can use that to help it learn more."

"You can give it to her. She'll be down soon," Loki said, but Hogun shook his head. "Not today. I have work to do at the cottage."

And as the warrior turned to leave, Loki took the whistle reluctantly and placed it in a pocket.

Hlin was poking his head in then, saying, "They're here."

With a great sigh that shook his entire body, Loki rose to his feet and followed the boy from the room, his voice dull as said, "Tell them we'll be down directly."

As Hlin moved toward the breakfast room, Loki stalked up the staircase, stopping at the top when he saw that Asrior was walking along the hall with Saldis beside her.

She had more color in her cheeks than in days past. Her hair was brushed and tied back neatly with a ribbon, and though she was dressed in an old robe that was sizes too large for her, she looked much improved.

"You go on down, Saldis," Loki said, watching as Asrior slowly approached the stairs. "I'll help here."

"I don't need help." Asrior's face was set into stubborn lines. "I am perfectly capable of walking."

"I didn't say you weren't." He kept his voice even. "I merely want to be here in case you change your mind. It is a long way downstairs, and you have scarcely walked in recent days."

Asrior gave an annoyed shrug and grasped the golden rail of the stairs firmly with one hand, while the other lifted her robe and nightdress so that they did not get tangled in her feet as she walked down the stairs.

Loki followed alongside of her while she moved, tamping down on the desire to carry her himself. He had found in recent days that her moods passed more swiftly when she was allowed her own way, and that trying to stop her actions entirely only served to make things worse. And so he walked patiently at her side the entire way down the grand staircase, their progress slow and deliberate, until they were almost at the foot of the stairs.

Her foot became tangled in her gown as she neared the bottom, and she paused, shaking it loose with a grunt of frustration; but when it was free, she did not move. She simply stood on the step, gripping the railing tightly with both hands. Her breathing was quicker and there was a sheen of sweat on her brow, and he could see that she was trying to exert some control over her body.

When she swayed, Loki made a sound in his throat and muttered, "This is ridiculous."

She did not protest when he swung her into his arms, making only a surprised squeak when she was lifted from her feet; and before she could say anything, he walked down the stairs, telling her, "I appreciate your need for independence, but there is no need to push yourself too hard. Trust me when I say you will want to save your energy."

He had not touched her since the night he had given in to his unaccountable urge to stroke her hair, and had rarely touched her before her being wounded; and he was acutely aware now of the arms that had moved around his shoulders as he moved, and of the feel of her chest against him as she breathed. The feeling was new and surprising.

But Asrior was holding her back stiff, and her eyes were focused in front of her rather than on him.

"Thank you," she said after a moment, sounding almost formal. "I will admit that I would not have made it on my own."

He didn't say anything, instead tightening his hold, and as they crossed to the hall that led to the breakfast room, she began to relax. Her eyes stayed trained in front of her, but her breathing slowed, and she leaned more into him; and one of the hands on his shoulders began to creep around his back, her own hold tightening.

Still, when the hand brushed against the hair at his neck, she moved it back quickly, almost as though burnt, and her arm grew rigid.

When they were at the door to the small room where the others waited, he paused, asking, "Do you want to walk inside on your own?"

She looked at him then, her eyes locking with his for a moment before she nodded; and he set her on her feet, his hands moving to hold her waist as she steadied herself. Her head barely came to his shoulders, and she kept her eyes trained on his chest as she found her footing; but something in the way she held her body very still and held her breath told him that she was as unused to and nonplused by his touch as he was to hers.

A raucous sound came from behind the door, and she finally lifted her eyes to his. They were wide with curiosity, and she asked, "What is going on in there?"

He sighed then, slowly moving his hands from her waist, and when another roar sounded from the room he shut his eyes briefly, steeling himself for what was to come.

And as he put a hand on the door knob, he looked down at her inquisitive face, his voice heartfelt as he answered, "I know that I have told you things, but I realize that actions often speak what words cannot adequately utter. If you ever doubt the extent that I will go to in order to ensure your protection or my sincerity in attending to your needs, I beg you to remember that I am allowing this to happen."

Her eyes widened even more as he spoke, and when he pushed the door open, she slowly walked inside.

The look on her face changed to delight at the sight of Stark and Banner sitting at the table, and as she smiled widely at them, the large trunk at the mortals' feet shook and a sound issued from it that was reminiscent of a Bilge Snipe in heat.

"What is that?" she asked, her eyes moving to the box, the curiosity in her voice tinged with uncertainty.

"A trunk full of cats," Stark said, grinning over at her, sounding extraordinarily pleased with himself. "Bruce wouldn't let me put them in a bag. Said was too uncomfortable for them."

Asrior lifted a hand to her mouth as she looked over at the monster, who grinned, and the three began to actually giggle over a foolish joke they no doubt shared among themselves.

Annoyed at her rapport with such lesser creatures, Loki scowled and gritted, "Stark and Banner are not just here to amuse you, Asrior, but to help me devise better means for your protection."

Instead of listening to him, however, his wife was looking at Hlin, who was saying, "Well…let's open it. I want to see them."

And as Stark moved to lift the trunk's lid and the others gathered around it, Loki could not stop the growl that rose in his throat.

But Asrior stepped back after looking inside, and as Hlin began to exclaim over one of the beasts, she turned to catch Loki's eyes.

"I will remember," she said softly, and the smile that she bestowed on him did much to assuage his irritation.

His mood grew even lighter when he saw that the monster was looking from him to Asrior with a question on his face and that when she noticed it, she ignored it, looking back down in the box instead, saying, "There are so many of them. This, without doubt, is a splendid show of action indeed."

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**As always, addressing specific comments/questions below and giving a huge thanks to everyone:**

**London Calling, MissCaityGrace, Sidlewild, SissyPerigrin, actressen, sweets1111, Guest 1, Reader**-Thank all of you for reviewing. Your comments really do make it easier to write (and make me more motivated). I appreciate your reading, and I hope you enjoy what's in store for everyone.

**KuramaxChan**-Je vous remercie! J'espère que vous avez apprécié ce chapitre! Thanks very much for the review.

**BlooAngels**-LOL, yes he has been an ass, and maybe now he'll shapeshift into something a bit more decent again. Thanks for reviewing!

**Obnoxious Unicorn**-Thank you, very very much. Your review means a ton, and I really hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**Ellie Martineau**-OMG, thank you! Seriously, I love new readers, but one that usually doesn't read Loki/OC fics? That means a lot to me. I've tried to make Asrior 'real' (with flaws and all), so your comments about her just made my week, actually. Thanks for reading, and I sincerely hope you enjoy the rest of the fic. OH, and yes, I know that section dragged (I actually cut it down even more from the original outline), but that's a problem me writing this as I go along. If I wrote this entire thing before posting, I'd go back and edit a few things and cut a few things and do away with at least one chapter and tighten up the entire story. At some point, as I was writing that part, I just told myself "this is how it will be or else you'll never get finished" because I tend to worry about things. But I am still very glad that it was worth reading despite it all.

**Tashio**-Your review really made me smile! Thank so much for reading and investing the time in this fic. Many of the things you mentioned will come up (like Loki's fling with Lorelei and the necklace). AND Loki's continued jealousy over pretty much anyone that Asrior pays attention to, especially Bruce "the monster" Banner.

**Shelly**-Thank you, thank you, thank you. The horse will come up. Soon, actually. And as you can see, Asrior was moved into much better quarters.

**vykrothe**-You know, all though Loki had his fling to try to forget about the fact that he liked his new wife a little too much for his comfort, that's not exactly what said wife might want to hear, I think. We'll see how it comes up (because it *will*). Thanks for reading and reviewing, it's always nice to hear comments.

**HarryPotterFreakie**-Thanks for reviewing! And as you can see, there are cats, a whole trunk full of them (though they didn't make the entire journey in a trunk, it was just for effect for Asrior). Maybe there's a grumpy one in the lot.

**NoVacancyMind-**Thank you very very much. And the dollar store near my house sells giant lollipops that last forever and are really disgusting by the time you are done with them, but they are awesome for the exact same reason :D. I feel bad for Loki too. But not too bad.

**Candy Flaps**-Thank you very much for the kind words, and it's not wrong to wonder about the knickers. I suppose she was wearing them, but you can allow your imagination to roam. As you can see after this update, the nightgown hasn't come up. Yet.

**CeliaSingsSongs**-Kagoq makes an appearance soon, and that's all I'll say about that :D. As to everything else, I hope you enjoyed their eventual talking. Thanks for reviewing!

**Zippythewondersquirrel**-Your comment made me laugh, and I seriously want to thank you. Loki will never, ever 'wubby', lol, at least I hope not (feel free to tell me if he gets too soft). Vengeful, yes, and…well, you shall see. When he *is* sweet (for lack of a better word) it is in a typical Loki way, which means it's all the sweeter because it's not over-the-top and is often cantankerous and almost against his will.

**jnotjane**-I think the necklace will eventually make an appearance ;). Thanks very much for the review.


	17. Chapter 16-Lessons

A/N-Thanks to my wonderful readers! Thanks for reviewing and following. You are why I write.

A quick note: I made some edits to the last chapter...if you read it soon after posting and did not reread, you might want to take another look. It's nothing major but... See, I think I gave the wrong impression in few places in regards to Loki's, um, desire for Asrior. Yes, he is attracted to her (and has been for ages...you remember he had to steel himself from enjoying looking at her by the lake, for he did not want to enjoy anything of Valur's daughter...and his wedding night haunted him so that he had the fling with Lorelei). That said, there is a difference between being finding someone attractive and really desiring them. Last chapter, Loki understood that Asrior is attractive to his eyes (and thought she was a bit obtuse for thinking her scars would make a difference)...but he did not *desire* her, if that makes sense. I think I've clarified his feelings and what motivates his want to touch her etc. And thanks to BlooAngels for making me think about what I'd written.

So...they are one step closer this chapter to that whole *desiring* part. I hope you like it. Let me know how you feel.

Oh, Grumpy Cat makes an appearance in this chapter!

I wanted to put in the invitation to Stark Tower here, but it didn't make it. Rest assured, next update we see much of Tony's pad. And schwarma. And Captain America as the world's most trustworthy chaperone.

ahem

OTs are mine, all else Marvel's.

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**Chapter 16-Lessons**

"I remember who owned the comb," she said, looking over at where Hlin sat on the edge of Loki's desk. "The ornate one with the rainbow-colored stones."

"You remember a name this time?" He asked, idly crushing a piece of paper into a ball, and Loki, who had looked over from his spot by the shelf when Asrior spoke, frowned.

"Yes," she said, moving her eyes to stare at the scrawny grey cat that sat on the floor rather than her husband. "It was Lorelei's. She left it in Valtur's chambers after visiting one evening."

Hlin blinked, and the hands holding the ball stilled. "The goddess Lorelei? _She_ consorted with Valtur?"

"On more than one occasion," Asrior said, making a face. "She is a goddess of great beauty, but very little taste. It was said she would rut with a cow if it offered the right compliments."

The book Loki had been holding closed with a loud snap that made her jump, and Asrior glanced at him as he shoved it onto the shelf and pulled down another.

"Very well," Hlin was saying, scribbling on the piece of paper that held her list. "Do you recall anything else you took from her?"

She gave him an apologetic look, "I took so many things from her that I lost count."

He nodded and looked at the cat, an adolescent not quite a year old, according to Bruce. The creature was so slender that he came close to being scrawny, and his grey fur was patchy; and though he was one that Hlin had taken for his own and named Sazur, he seemed to always find his way from the tower and into Loki's workroom, even when doors were shut.

And when Hlin tossed the ball onto the floor, the cat simply watched it sail past, looking bored, even when a small black and white bundle rolled from under the desk and went careening after the paper so quickly that it ran into a chair leg.

"Gita!" Hlin yelped, sounding horrified and laughing at the same time, and he glanced at Loki. "I'm sorry, I had no idea she was in here as well."

The god shrugged a shoulder as he moved over to his desk, and he glanced at Asrior, muttering, "I am grateful the others have been so effectively dealt with."

The trunk that Tony had given her had been filled with cats of all sizes, and while Asrior was enchanted with them, the memory of Ragnar the Undaunted was still too tender to take another as her own, and she was terrified one would get hurt because of her. So Hlin took two to the tower, and Asrior chose two to stay in the greenhouse, for Bruce said they were good at keeping vermin out. Some went to the stables and kittens went to the Halfjornson farm, and a great brown and white cat with blue eyes and a sullen face was taken by an adoring Saldis to live in the servant's quarters.

As Loki put the book on his desk, Hlin chased after Gita, scooping her up as he said, "I should bring her to visit Tony and Bruce. I have not heard any explosions lately, so perhaps it is safe."

Asrior began to push up from the settee, intent on escaping as well, but Loki's shot her a look and said, "I would like it if you stayed. I want to talk for a moment."

She fell back against the cushions and hid her sigh, watching with envy as Hlin moved to the door. He gave her an apologetic look as he left and did not bother calling for the other cat, for he knew the creature would soon end up back in the middle of the floor, staring at Loki's desk.

When the door clicked shut, Asrior folded her hands and waited. She could hear Loki moving things about, but did not look over at him. Indeed, she wasn't sure how to act around him, for she had been little in his company since the night he'd helped with her medicine.

He still stayed with her when the night grew deep, coming to sit after she was retired and leaving before she woke; and he would take meals with everyone, his attitude toward her unfailingly polite and attentive. But he made no move to renew any discussion about her past.

He'd even allowed her more freedom as she grew stronger, letting her walk with Hlin or the Midgardians around the castle. She thought perhaps Bruce and Tony's presence at Okershall helped reassure him as to her safety, for she had come to understand that in addition to making weapons, they both held powers that were almost as daunting as her husband's.

But despite his being around, they had not really talked. Hlin said that Loki was in the library almost nonstop, still working on something that he did not share. And when he'd come into the room as she sat with Hlin, he'd muttered something about needing a book he kept near his desk.

Yet it seemed as though he'd found a reason to talk now.

So when he moved to settle into a seat near her settee and regarded her with a tentative expression, she promoted, "What is it that you wish?"

He looked down at his hands briefly before looking back up at her. "Do you know what I am working on?"

Asrior shook her head. "I only know that you have been studying at something."

Shifting so that his elbows rested on his thighs, he nodded, confiding, "I've been trying to find a way to break a particularly powerful spell your father has used."

She snorted. "Which one? They are all powerful."

"Yes, they are. Maybe… maybe before I get to that, we should discuss my powers. What do you know about my sorcery?"

"You are said to be very formidable. Hlin told me that you have the power to project yourself across distances, and I know how you were able to keep me on the castle grounds," she said, growing curious. "What does this have to do with Valtur?"

"You have to understand what I am capable of to fully understand my dilemma," he said, and paused for a moment before adding, "You see, I can also shield myself, become invisible."

"I did not know about that." And then her eyes narrowed as something flickered in his. "That is how you knew how to… to get to me when you tricked me. You watched me, didn't you? By the lake?"

He pressed his lips together before admitting, "Yes. I watched you for quite a while before approaching you. If you wish to chastise me later for that sin, you may do so to your heart's content, but I'd like to finish this first if I may."

She began plucking at her skirt, trying to ignore her feelings. She felt vulnerable and exposed knowing her privacy had been so invaded, but she gave him a grudging nod. "Go on."

The look Loki gave her was grateful. "You father remains very closely tied to Jerrik, and I have projected to Jerrik's palace in Nornheim and cloaked myself in an attempt to see if I could learn anything. I have done this several times, but I am unable to enter the palace. And when Jerrik rides out on his lands, I am unable to hear what he or his men say. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before."

"But that sounds like what you did to the forest."

"Yes. I thought the spell was as that one, but I can easily break such magic. I have been unable to do so with this. It is…different. Much stronger." She simply looked at him, wondering what he wanted, and he leaned closer as he said, "I have come to believe that the spell he uses there is related to the curse he placed on you and the dwarf."

Asrior tilted her head, trying to understand. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not quite sure," he admitted, turning his palms up in an almost confounded gesture before clasping his hands in front of him. "It is simply a theory. The curse that binds your words to someone who has not seen your scars is extremely powerful; and it has occurred to me that something similar may be keeping me from entering Jerrik's home. Perhaps I need knowledge of something inside of it before I can enter."

"I still don't understand. Why are you telling me this?"

He did not look hopeful. "I thought you might know something of your father's magic. What he studied. Who taught him."

"I know only of what it is capable of doing," she told him, explaining, "I was not allowed around him when he spoke with his men, and he did not speak to me of his past. I was kept only in certain chambers for much of my childhood, and I was certainly not allowed to study magic, so I know nothing of his background or…the properties of his magic or…."

"It's all right, Asrior," he reassured her when she began to get agitated. "I thought that would be the case, but I needed to ask."

He looked frustrated, and she knew that he must find the problem more than a little vexing. She did as well, for if he could learn how to break the magic on Jerrik's palace, then perhaps he could break the curse put upon her; and she could talk to Sif then. She could be with Kagoq.

"I wish I could do more," she said, bothered by her inability to help. "I wish you required information on the history of Svartalfheim, for I can recite the genealogy of not only the royal house, but of several of the…"

Asrior paused, remembering, and when Loki noticed the look on her face, he asked, "What?"

"Kagoq might be of help." Her eyes widened as she recalled their life at the fortress. "Before he was made to take care of me, he was Valtur's hand servant. Even after I was put into his care, he was often called to attend to Valtur or to visitors. He was treated as though…as though he were nothing. A trained animal. It is very likely that he witnessed Valtur say or do things that might be of help to you."

Loki's dark look began to fade as she spoke, but when he saw the hopeful expression on her face, he sounded cautious. "I do not know if that will be enough to bring him here."

She knew he was right, but Asrior could not help the lightness in her chest. "I know. But if you are allowed to see him and I am not, I can send a message through you. It is more than I have had for many years."

"A message? Yes, of course. Though I perhaps…perhaps I can bring you with me, for I will need a way to communicate with your dwarf. Thor will need convincing," he said, and he put a hand up to rub at his mouth as he began to think. He eyes were far away, his mind on his thoughts so fixedly that when Sazur walked over and began to rub against his leg, he failed to notice. "And he likely will not allow it if Sif protests. Still…"

Asrior, whose mouth had opened to respond, snapped it shut, for he had lowered a hand to push the cat away; but the animal bent its head and pushed against it, explaining in its way what it wanted, and Loki… He kept his hand down and rubbed his fingers near the cat's ear in a manner so absentminded that it took all of her will not to laugh.

The hope of seeing Kagoq again had lifted her spirits, and the sight of her husband unwittingly petting the cat was almost too much to bear in light of her mood. She wished more than anything that Hlin was in the room; and she thought the sight would amuse Tony as well. And when Loki's eyes began to focus and moved to her face, she had to force herself to adopt a stoic expression.

"I can always teach you simple signs to help you communicate with him," she offered, though the words were ruined by the fact that she had to stop and bite her lips hard to stop the smile that threatened to break through.

Sazur began to purr loudly, and Loki looked down, his hand jerking away from the animal as though it were scalding.

He stood then, glaring at her, and Asrior put a hand over her mouth, for her husband was without doubt in no mood for games.

But unable to fully control her tongue, she lowered her hand after a moment, saying, "It is too bad that Thor was not here as witness. Surely the fact that you allow Sazur to wander around freely and even lower yourself to scratch his ear as recompense to me would convince your brother of the depth of your conviction more than mere words could." His scowl deepened, and she could not keep the laughter from her voice. "Imagine. All of our problems solved because Loki Laufeyson allowed himself to pet a cat."

Loki did not look amused, however, and after he walked to his desk to wrench the book from it, he turned to glare at her. "If you tell anyone that I am going around petting those things, I promise that I will find a way to bind your mouth so that you cannot say anything ever again."

She had to look down, for her eyes were probably entirely too merry for his liking. "Though I am tempted to tell despite the risk, I fear no one would believe me," she said, trying very hard to sound solemn.

The door opened then, and Hlin poked his head in, saying, "Bruce would like a word, my lord. I'll stay with Asrior."

Her husband did not look at her as she as he stalked from the room; but when the door shut behind him with a thump, Hlin said, "You appear to be rather cheery. Whatever happened?"

"There is a chance…a very small chance that I might see Kagoq soon," she told him, her happiness growing despite the knowledge that Thor might not allow it. And she looked at the cat, who had jumped into the empty chair Loki had recently sat in. "And Sazur has been a very good boy."

Sazur just sat and looked at her, still purring.

….

When he visited Asgard the next day, he found Thor with the warriors, sitting up high on a long set of steps and watching as they practiced with swords in an arena below; and as Loki stepped through the door and moved to sit next to him, his brother said, "Did you know that even now, I am surprised when you do that?"

"You were always very good at not showing it," Loki said, smirking. "Volstagg still jumps when I appear from nothing."

Thor smiled, but his eyes were still trained on the activity below them. "You have news since we last spoke?"

"Of a sort," he said, noticing that Sif kept glancing up at them even as she sparred with Fandral.

Something in Loki's voice had his brother turning to him.

"What?"

"The spell on Jerrik's palace. I think I know how I might find a way break it," Loki explained, lowering his voice, for Sif's inattention to the fight had resulted in the loss of her sword, and she had turned to stare up at the two brothers. "I need to know more about Valtur's magic, and Asrior believes that the dwarf can be of help."

"But he is mute. I do not understand."

"He can communicate with Asrior. They taught themselves a language made up of hand signals after his tongue was cut out."

Thor looked uncertain. "You want to bring her to him? I thought you were still concerned as to her intentions toward the dwarf. You have come to trust her now?"

"Yes." Loki said, his voice grave. "I have reason to, for when she was hurt, I di…" He paused and tried again, "She has be…" The words he was going to speak caught in his throat, and he gave a frustrated grunt. "I have reason."

The sparring below began anew, and his brother, his expression unchanged, said, "Tell me more."

Loki's hand rubbed at his chin as he tried to find words that the curse would not stop in his throat. "It is similar to a curse Valtur has used before, one that I have witnessed in action."

"How?"

"Valtur used a curse to bi… He did the same thing to As… Damn it, both the dwar…" Loki was sputtering angrily, the unsaid words piling up in his throat, finally spitting out, "I can't tell you. He did something similar, that's all you need to know."

He wondered if he had looked ts Asrior the same way that Thor was looking at him when she'd so desperately tried to fight the curse and tell him why she wanted her dwarf.

"I think that I need specific knowledge of something in Jerrik's palace to enter. I have good reason to believe this. If I can discover the origins of this spell, I can possibly break it. You have to trust me, Thor."

"I do, which is why you may try to communicate with the dwarf," Thor said, turning to look at the warriors again. "But Asrior stays at Okershall."

"You thought I was wrong about my wife before, and now that I trust her, you have changed your mind? Is it my judgment you do not have faith in, then?" Loki asked, his voice bitter.

"I said I trusted you. But I cannot allow Asrior to meet with the dwarf with so little an explanation to Sif." Thor's jaw was set. "Please do not argue with me. I will talk to her, but it will take time to convince her. You know that she is stubborn."

Loki's mouth twisted. "Indeed, It is family trait. We will both be as old as the Allfather by the time she relents."

He noticed then that Sif was moving toward the steps, seemingly intent on approaching them.

"His name is Kagoq," Loki said then. "The dwarf's name is Kagoq, and I know more about his previous life with Valtur, things that Asrior has told me. Perhaps if I can talk to Sif about him myself…"

But Thor was shaking his head at Sif, and he tilted his head at the other warriors, as though asking her to stay with the others. She frowned as he did so, but turned back before she reached the stairs.

Thor was looking at him again. "How is she? Asrior? She is healing?"

"Yes," Loki said simply, remembering the look on her face as she dared to torment him about the wretched cat. "She is much improved these days."

"And Tony and Bruce, how is their work going?"

"They are almost done." Loki looked at him with growing impatience. "Why can I not speak with Sif?"

Thor did not answer, instead saying, "I have news of Asrior's mother." His eyes were more somber than they were before, and he paused for a moment before continuing, "Birgitta lived outside Celle, a town in Gymirsgard with a large iron mine. She lived there for a little over seven years before she was killed. She had a child, a daughter who had her mother's hair and who was seen very little by those in town. Asrior spoke the truth."

Loki stared at him, struck by his brother's troubled tone. "How was she killed?"

"She was riding in a coach to Erding, probably to trade for supplies for the coming winter. The coach was attacked by a party of marauders that included dark elves."

"Did… did they target her?"

"I do not think so. You see, there was another woman in the carriage, a woman who was with child, and Birgitta died protecting her. The woman and a few others survived, for a party of Odin's men happened upon the attack. We learned that one of the soldiers… He did not know Birgitta, but remembered seeing her at court. He thought her to be dead, like we all did, so he assumed this other woman only looked similar. But he bought her body to her home, and he saw that she had a daughter, and he also saw Asrior's ears. He knew he had been wrong."

Loki's voice was sharp. "Is he the one who took her to Valtur?"

"No. He mentioned her heritage to the men from Celle who took him to where Birgitta lived. He intended to take Asrior to Odin. They told him that she should stay there, that the couple she stayed with when Birgitta traveled were her relatives, and that they would keep her in their care. But when the soldier left, they took Asrior to her father."

He was breathing hard. "And you have punished them?"

"It is not so simple," Thor said, his face growing stiff. "The attacks by the marauders were growing, and the men who gave her to Valtur did so as a bargain for their lives and the lives of their families. They thought they could buy their protection."

"They should have sent her to the city," Loki growled, furious with Thor for defending their actions. "She was a child!"

"Yes, and they sent the child to her father. In all likelihood, she would have eventually been given to him even if she had been sent to Odin first. As Asrior's surviving parent, Valtur had a right to her. And he broke no laws, for he was not the one to steal her."

Thor was looking at him oddly, and it took Loki a moment to remember that he did not know how she had been abused at Valtur's hand. He scowled and struggled to answer, finally saying, "It would have been better for her if she had stayed here."

"Perhaps," Thor said, giving him a look that was close to patronizing. "But we cannot know that with certainty. We only know that she is here now and is free to choose where she goes when this is all over."

Grunting with frustration, Loki asked, "Is there anything else you need before I go?"

"The couple that took care of Asrior still had her belongings. Not much… clothes and the like. They insisted my men take them to her, for they remember her with fondness." Thor said. "Should I send them to Okerhsall, or…"

"Of course you should send them. She holds on to sentiment and no doubt will want them." He paused and set his jaw as he stood to leave. "And tell Sif that I shall visit the dwarf within the week."

Thor gave him a half smile then, saying, "Be safe, brother."

Loki did not answer as he left.

When he came back to his corporeal self in his chambers, he immediately went in search of Asrior, first going to the room where the mortals worked. But when he pushed the door open, they were standing with on either side of Hlin, strapping one of their devices to his hand.

Loki scanned the room for Asrior, his eyes narrowing when he saw that she was not there. "Where is she?"

Stark glanced over at the sound of his voice. "Oh. Hey there, Rock of Ages. Looking for the misses?"

Banner paid little attention to him, his focus on the round disk in Hlin's palm.

"Why," Loki continued, pushing the door open further, his voice growing steely, "have you left her alone?"

Hlin looked over his shoulder at him, looking resentful. "She's in the greenhouse. And she's not alone. You know I would not do that."

Loki grunted in response, pulling the door closed roughly before heading to the old keep. He moved quickly, for it was likely that she had grown bored sitting while they worked and had convinced them to allow only Saldis or her worthless nephew to watch over her.

But as he neared the little hall to the greenhouse, he heard the sound of music mixed with Asrior's voice; and when he pushed into the room, he was met with the sight of Hogun the Grim sitting on a tiny stool, playing the whistle he had given her to teach the golden reedling to sing.

The songbird's cage was next to him; and Asrior was at a work bench nearby, wrapping something long and green in damp cloth.

"Do you hear how I did it?" Hogan asked as he paused his playing. "The notes go higher and faster at the end of the call."

"Yes, I think I understand," she said, but she was looking over at Loki, and the smile on her face turned into something more keen. "You are back, my lord. You have spoken with Thor?"

"Yes," Loki answered, dipping his head when Hogun stood.

Asrior seemed to understand that he did not want to speak in front of the warrior, for she gave him a quick glance and explained, "Hogun has agreed to take some things to the Halfjornson farm. We were waiting for the cart to be loaded."

She was wearing one of her new gowns, a deep blue one, and she had more color in her cheeks, looking almost as she did before her injury; and before he knew what he was doing, he said, "If you feel you are able, I can take you to the farm. You have not been out of the castle in weeks."

Her face was a mixture of uncertainty and anticipation. "Are you sure? Ulvgeir is in the village…but we could find a stable hand to drive the cart perhaps."

He was sure, for it would be good for him to make those who lived outside of Okershall's boundaries well aware that she had his constant protection now; and riding out would give them a measure of privacy, and what they were to discuss was not meant for others' ears.

And she clearly wanted to go.

"I will drive the cart," he said, trying to keep the acrimony from his voice at the thought of it. "You will not have to sit in the back if I do so."

Her face broke into a smile. "Very good." And she turned to Hogun, obviously pleased. "And now you do not have to moan about the task. You are free to go back to your cottage."

Hogun allowed a hint of a smile to touch his lips. "Thank you for the reprieve, my lady."

Loki frowned, for it was his doing that spared the warrior the indignity of driving a pony cart.

"The next time I visit, you can show me how your work goes with the bird," Hogun was saying. "And I was recently given a litter of rabbits. They will soon be old enough for me to bring them for you to see."

"I would like that very much." Her smiled widened so that the warrior blinked. "Thank you for helping. I was worried that I would fail teach the bird to sing."

He handed the whistle to her, and though his face was grave again, his voice was warm. "You will do fine if you practice like I showed you."

And then he gave Asrior a short bow, saying, "My lady," and then, "Loki," before heading to the door.

Hogun looked…different, and as he watched him leave, Loki's brow knit. The warrior was always forbidding, but there was a serenity about him as he had played the whistle to the bird that he had not shown in ages.

"It looks as though the cart is ready," Asrior said, drawing his attention back to her. She peering through the greenhouse's glass as she put on her cloak, and after she picked up the plants she had been wrapping, she looked at him. "You're _sure_?"

"I would not have offered otherwise." And he tilted his head as he regarded her. "You are certain that you are feeling well enough?"

"You will be doing most of the work. And I am tired of sitting inside." And then she moved to pick up the bird cage from its hook at the top, frowning at the two white and orange cats that had moved close and were stare hungrily at the songbird. "I have already told you, this is not your supper."

As she pushed them gently away with a foot, Loki's brow rose. "The bird travels with us?"

"I have to practice," she pointed out.

He simply grimaced and moved to the door that led outside, opening it and muttering, "If any of Hogun's rabbits are left here after he next visits, they had better be cooked and on my plate at supper. I forbid you to turn Okershall into a menagerie."

"It never crossed my mind to keep any," she assured him as she slid past, sounding almost offended at his words.

"Liar."

He followed her to where the pony cart sat, and in little time, he found himself driving it down the hill toward the road, the birdcage sitting between them. Asrior waited to talk to him as they drove off, playing the whistle for the bird instead.

But when they were fully away from the castle, when the road rounded the corner by the woods and Okershall could no longer be seen, she put the whistle down and looked at him.

"Will I be allowed to see Kagoq?"

The answer must have been on his face, for as soon as he looked at her, her expression fell.

"Thor said that he cannot allow it now, for I cannot adequately explain to Sif why I think you can be trusted. But he has said that he will try to change her mind. We need more time to convince her."

She nodded and took a deep breath as though bolstering herself. She was obviously trying to maintain her fair mood, and he knew it was difficult for her, for she was inordinately attached to the dwarf.

"I'm sorry, Asrior," he said softly, meaning it, and she gave him a gratified look as she said, "You will be able to talk to him?"

"Yes, I am allowed to try."

"You'll…project yourself?"

He nodded. "In a few days, after you to show me some of your language, I will do so. I can take a message to him from you as well."

"I have to think of what to say." She was rolling the whistle in her fingers and starting at it as though concentrating. "It has been so long since I have seen him, and there is much to tell him."

The corner of her mouth lifted as she thought, and her face was almost back as it was when he'd found her in the greenhouse. He was loathed to damage her mood again, but she would want to know about her mother.

"When I was with Thor, he told me of Birgitta," he began, and her fingers stilled, and her back tensed. "We know what happened to her."

She bit her lip before asking roughly, "Did Valtur kill her?"

"No, though some dark elves were involved," he said, and when her body relaxed slightly, he told her what happened—of the party of marauders, of how her mother died protecting another woman, and of the soldier who saw her ears.

"Do you remember that?" he asked, watched her. She was rolling the whistle again, staring at it as though to distract herself.

"The most I remember of that day is the sight of my mother lying still." Her voice was thick, but no tears fell. "I thought she was asleep. I tried to wake her."

"You were almost bought to Odin," he told her, his anger renewing as he recounted what had been done. "The men from Celle convinced the soldier to leave you, and they bargained you for their safety."

She did not look surprised. "I know. I learned what happened later. And even if I had been sent to Odin, I know that most likely I would have ended up with Valur anyway. He had a right to me as my father."

"That is what Thor said." He clenched his jaw and pulled on the reins to stop the cart, and when she looked up at him, her eyes were bitter. "I try to tell myself that at least I had some time with my mother, for I truly believe I would not have survived without her memory. But it is difficult to not to be angry at my fate."

"Why do you avoid it?" He was stunned at her words and thought her senseless for the effort to tamp down on her fury, and his voice was filled with steel as he said, "You have every right to be enraged at what happened to you. You should be shouting for reprisal, demanding it, and…"

"Because it is not what my mother would have wanted for me." Her voice rose, stopping him, and it began to shake as she said, "Such feelings would consume me. You cannot begin to understand the hatred in my heart. And if I give in to it, then I allow Valtur to take more than my childhood from me. He will take everything that I am. I will not give him that."

He doubted that her hatred was more than he had held; but her eyes were blazing, and she looked much as she had when she'd told him she would not be pitied. Loki would feel a nerve in his jaw twitch as he said, "I understand all too well the want for vengeance. You are a fool if you do not seek it."

"What good has seeking it ever done for you?" Her eyes were filled with disdain. "You were banished. You were punished for what you did…"

"My methods may have been…ill considered, but the sentiment that drove me was fair," he growled. "It is wrong to deny justice to those who deserve it."

"There is a difference between vengeance and justice," she held, her chin rising higher. "Justice is a benefit to those harmed. Vengeance destroys, and not only those who seek it. The thirst for it is destroying Valtur and made me a victim as well." She looked at her hands again after a moment, and though her breathing was still quick, her voice was slightly calmer when she spoke. "And I thought you looked down upon sentiment. If you can hold to harsher feelings, perhaps you should reconsider others that you feel undeserving. They will serve you much better."

Asrior's bright head stayed bent, and Loki pressed his lips together. It astounded him that after all that was done to her that she stuck to her childish ideas about love with a stubborn insistence.

"We should drive on," he said finally, trying to control the roughness in his voice; and after a moment, knowing that it would provoke her from her sulking, he asked, "Are you ready to face the wretched horde of unwashed children?"

Her head jerked up and her eyes were filled with affront. "They are not wretched children." And her eyes were condescending as she scoffed. "I'm sure you were most vile as a child, but they are not."

"They are greedy little louts whose main quest in life is to extract as many sweets from you as possible."

He began to drive the cart forward, she did not protest at it, instead saying with fervor, "They are not greedy. They are children who have been dealt a very difficult hand."

"They should learn their place."

She must have noticed the look on his face, for her eyes narrowed. "You are deliberately trying to goad me."

He smirked at her. "I am getting you back for mocking me when I touched the cat." And when he turned his eyes back to the road, he was unable to keep the smugness from his voice as he said, "And I have to admit, vengeance in this instance has served me well. You looked like one of your beloved beasts, ready to hiss at me. It was most amusing."

The sound she made was filled with exasperation, and as he glanced at her, he saw that she was shaking her head at him as though he were a child. But her mood appeared ever so slightly lighter than it was before.

Asrior lifted the whistle after a moment and played more as they rode. She paused only when they drew close to the Halfjornson farm, and as they neared, Loki slowed the cart, telling her, "I know that we are not likeminded about things. But please believe me that I am sorry about your mother. Birgitta was a very kind woman."

"Thank you." She gave him a rueful smile. "I forget sometimes that others here knew her as well."

He stopped the cart as they arrived in front of the house, and almost immediately the children came running for it from every corner of the yard; and as Asrior began to climb down, he called for one of them to hold the horses, and when the one called Truett climbed in the cart, Loki saw that the others were milling about his wife, looking at her expectantly.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have anything for you," she was saying, explaining, "I was not expecting to come here when the cart was being filled. Hogun was going to drive it over until Loki offered to bring me. But I have something for Nessa and Halfjorn."

And as she picked up the items she'd been wrapping in the greenhouse from the back of the cart and moved to the house, they continued to follow her. One of the little girls grabbed onto Asrior's cloak with a small hand and began telling her about their kittens.

A few of the older ones were looking at him, less fearful this time.

Loki did not smile at them, but adopted a pleasant expression, and he spoke little during the visit. It was clear that Asrior had missed venturing into the countryside, and he allowed her to time to talk to everyone. She gave Nessa the bundle, explaining that if the flowers inside were kept in a warm room, they would soon bloom and last for several weeks; and she helped arrange them in the sitting room that was Halfjorn's, who sat inside with one of the kittens on his lap.

The children brought the beasts to her to inspect and excitedly told her their names, and one of them gave her a drawing they'd made of the creatures. When they went to leave, she showed them the bird in its cage and demonstrated the birdsong on the whistle.

And by the time they were heading back to Okershall in the now-empty cart, she was in a much improved mood.

"You will have noticed that they did not abandon me when I told them I had no sweets," she said, giving him a dignified look.

Loki grunted and allowed, "Perhaps I misjudged them."

She looked pleased with herself, and she her eyes were almost jovial as she reached a hand in her pocket and pulled out the whistle. "Perhaps."

As she moved, he noticed that her cloak had been sewn back together where the arrow had gone through it; it was done neatly, but the material still pulled awkwardly near the repair.

"You should get another cloak now that that one is so damaged," he said, looking at the seam.

"This one is perfectly fine," she protested. "It is very warm, and it would be wasteful not to use it just because the rip was not mended perfectly.

He frowned, remembering how the spot had been wet with her blood, but did not push the matter.

Asrior lifted the whistle to her lips then and began to play, every once in a while pausing to urge the bird to sing.

"It cannot understand you," he told her after a while.

She lifted a shoulder. "I thought it might understand the tone of my voice if not the words."

"That could be your problem. You are being too kind to it."

Her mouth dropped open. "You think I should shout?"

"Asking nicely isn't working." He arched a brow. "Is it?"

The look in her eyes was defiant, and she lifted the whistle, glaring at him as she began the bird song again; and when she was done, she asked in her gentlest voice yet for the bird to please sing.

It bounced on its perch, but remained silent.

"I will not shout at it," she muttered fiercely, and when he smirked, she sat back and huffed in vexation. "I cannot believe that I have allowed you to try to aggravate me again…"

"Not try," he corrected. "I thought I succeeded rather well."

"You are…" she began, turning to him with an irritated stare, "the most…"

But the bird chose that moment to sing, chirping in imitation the song she had played on the whistle. Its tones were pure and ringing, sounding almost celestial, and Asrior's eyes grew round as she listened.

The ponies' hooves on the road were loud, though, and mixed in with the sound of the bird, so Loki stopped the cart and turned to watch her.

"They sound lovely in the forest, but this is glorious," she said after a moment.

When the bird stopped, she lifted the whistle again and played briefly, and when the bird started it song again, she tore her eyes away from it to look at him.

And she smiled.

It was as that day by the lake, for she seemed to be made of sunlight once more. Her face and eyes—everything about her was radiant, and he could feel her happiness deep inside of him as though it were his own. It was blissful and astonishing, and when she moved her eyes back to the bird, he wanted to beg her to look at him again.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, the smile fading into awe as she gazed at the bird.

"Is it?" he managed, his own eyes trained on her as he tried to come to his senses. Her twilight-blue eyes were filled with wonder, and when she moved her head to listen more closely, her hair fell away from her cheek, exposing the graceful curve of her neck.

Her lips were tilted and slightly open; and she did not look at him when she ran her tongue over the bottom one, and then pressed them together briefly before answering, "Yes."

….

She had not yet fallen from the horse as they woke her, but she must have been quite agitated in her sleep if the look on both Loki and Saldis's face were any indication.

The housekeeper looked white as she took her hand from Asrior's shoulder, and Loki's voice was sharp as he asked, "This has happened before? You said she was doing it again."

Asrior pushed herself to sitting and shoved her hair from her face, trying to quell her breathing. Her body was trembling, and her throat felt hoarse, as though she'd shouted.

"Yes, my lord, she has done this more than once," Saldis said, sounding distressed. "I have witnessed this before."

"Why was I not told," he asked, sounding almost incensed.

"It is nothing," Asrior insisted, finding her voice. Her hands were hard to control, so she crossed her arms and forced them against her sides to hide their shaking. "I will be fine."

"I will get you a warm drink…" Saldis began, but Asrior shook her head fiercely and tried not to rock her body. "I will get water. Please. I am fine."

The housekeeper was wringing her hands, looking uncertain, and Loki's eyes were focused sharply on Asrior. But she forced herself to calm down, and after a moment, he gave a jerky nod and said, "She will be fine, Saldis. You can go to your quarters. It is very late."

After she left, Loki turned to the bed, where Asrior sat, her breathing finally under control.

"You dream about Valtur."

It was not a question.

Asrior huffed reached for her robe, pulling it on roughly. "I do not want to talk about it."

When she stood and walked to the table that held a pitcher of water, she heard him sigh with impatience. "Discussing it might lesson the effects of the dream."

She did not turn around, instead concentrating on pouring the water into a goblet, fearful the shaking would start again.

"Perhaps I can concoct a potion…"

"No!" She spun around to frown at him. "They are said to be intoxicating. I do not want to be drugged."

He scowled and moved to the settee where he'd already set his books. "Stubbornness will do little to stop this from happening again."

"Then I will have them again," she muttered, her face set in willful lines as she headed back for the bed.

"Asrior…please think about…"

She sat down so hard that water spilled from the goblet and onto her robe, and she talked over him, "I think I'd like to discuss your incarceration for invading Midgard. I'm most curious as to the punishment Odin devised for your crimes. I've heard that it was painful beyond imagination, and I'm sure you would not mind relating your experiences to me to satisfy my interest."

Loki's jaw was clenching and unclenching, as though he held back words, and his glare was fierce. But after a moment, he pushed open one of the books. "It is not my interest that I am thinking of. But you have made your point."

He ignored her after that, his eyes intent on his reading. Asrior finished her water and found her own book, and moved to sit up in her bed to read it. But it was one that Hlin had picked out and not very good, and after a moment, she let it fall to the bed with a frustrated sigh.

She thought perhaps she could try sleeping again, but she was wide awake. And so she looked over at her husband, who rubbing a lip with a finger as he turned the page of his book.

"What are you reading?" she asked after a moment, for he had more than one book with him.

He looked up briefly. "Various accounts of the history of sorcery on Svartalfheim and other realms. Why?"

It did not sound appealing, so she grunted, "Hlin seems to think that my tastes in books are similar to the grocer's wife in Trond. He bought this as a gift when he was in the village. I did not want to tell him that _Ardor Among the Realms _does not interest me."

"It is your fault if you did not speak up," he said, unimpressed with her complaint. "If you do tell him what your tastes are, he cannot be expected to meet them."

"But I do not want to hurt his feelings," she defended. "It was very sweet of him to think about me."

Loki scoffed. "Then gird yourself for a continuous flow of nonsensical drivel from him."

He was right, of course, but she was loathed to admit it. So she threw him an offended look that he did not notice, for his eyes were back on his book.

Scowling, she reached again for the one that Hlin had given her and tried reading it again; but she could not stop herself from mumbling under her breath when it turned ridiculous, and after a while, she heard the slap of Loki's book against the settee.

She looked up at the noise to find him staring at her, and with a voice that spoke of extreme patience, he said, "Would you like to go to the library and pick out another book? I will be most happy to escort you."

It was obvious that he tried very hard to humor her despite her mood, and Asrior flooded with guilt. He was trying to work on ways to help her, and she paid him back by being a nuisance.

So she leaned against her pillows, giving him a remorseful look. "I'm sorry. You are trying to do something important, and I am being a bother." He made a sound in his throat and opened his mouth to answer, probably to assure her that she was not being a pest; but a thought occurred to her, and she pushed herself up so that she was kneeling among her rumpled bedclothes, and she sounded eager when she said, "I know…we can do something useful together."

An odd look crossed his face, and he said, "Whatever do you mean?"

"I thought I could teach you some of the signs Kagoq and I used," she explained, and scuttled to side of the bed, suddenly animated.

"Now?" he asked, watching as she began to walk to the settee.

"Why not now?" she asked, and when she neared him, he pushed himself to one side and roped his pile of books into the middle. "I am not at all tired, and you are here with nowhere else to go."

She sat on the other end of the settee then and pulled her legs onto it so that she was sitting with them crossed over the other under her nightdress; and the look she gave him was encouraging.

He gave her a wary look and sighed, shutting the book that he held. "I suppose we can try."

She smiled at him in approval before asking, "What are you going to ask Kagoq about? I should know the specifics if I am to help."

"I plan on asking about sorcerers that dark elves study when they are learning magic. He can tell me yes or no easily enough if one sounds familiar, but he might know of one I have not uncovered. Or someone from another realm."

A lock of his hair was falling over his forehead, and Loki pushed at it, and she saw that it was growing longer. His hair had been almost short when he'd been at court, but now it fell wholly over the collar of the green tunic he was wearing.

"I suppose that I should know the signs for other races that know magic and some of the areas where they live, otherwise, it might take hours for us to narrow anything down. Can you help with that?"

"Other races?" she asked, turning her eyes to his face. "Which ones?"

"Light elves for a start. Some live in mountains and others near the sea. It would be useful to know those signs. Do you have words for those?"

"Yes." She pulled at her lip for a moment before saying, "Alright. Let's start with light elves. This is our sign for them."

And for the next hour, she tutored him, teaching him as best as she could how to sign the names of several races and geographical elements. Loki was a quick study, and when they had covered enough words to his satisfaction, he gave her a pleased look. "You should write your message out tomorrow. I will try to talk to him then."

"Write it out? You mean a note?" She looked at him with surprise.

"Well, yes." He arched a brow, his hand fiddling with one of the books beside him. "You said you wanted to send him a message. I thought I could read…"

"I do want to send him a message," she said, almost laughing at his presumption. "But you are going to sign it to him."

He gave her a quelling look. "Why?"

Asrior lifted a shoulder. "Because my message to him is private."

"You're… you're not going to tell me what I'm saying to him?"

She shook her head.

Loki sighed and looked as if he wanted to say something biting, but he grunted instead. "Alright. But make it a quick message."

"It's very simple really," she said, pushing up so that she was sitting straight and uncurling her legs so that they stretched in front of her.

And she put a hand on the inside of her wrist, and then slowly moved a fist to her chest, and then moved her hand to touch the corner of her mouth.

"That is my message."

Loki imitated her actions, looking doubtful as he moved.

"It that it?"

"No," she said quietly, smiling a little. "There's more."

And she put two fingers to her chest before pointing at him, knowing that he would refuse to give the message if he learned that he would, in effect, be declaring his love for the dwarf.

"Now show me what I have done," she asked, looking with approval as he repeated her movements, methodically signing the same words she had given to Kagoq the last time she had seen him.

"Very good." She smiled and yawned at the same time, and the look he gave her was fraught with relief.

"You are tired. Go to bed."

Asrior extended her arms above her head and pushed her legs further out, pointing her toes as she stretched. "Not yet. You are not done."

He was pushing his hair back again, looking at his books, "What do you mean."

"You will tell Kagoq what I just taught you when you first approach him, but after, you must tell him one more thing. You must remember to tell him this before you start asking him questions."

"Why?"

She shook her head. "Just do it. It is not a long message."

And a few minutes later, after he had learned the second part of her message, she had him repeat it one more time.

It was hard not to laugh as she watched Loki Laufeyson sign, _He can be stupid, but I trust him. Help him if you can._

"What?" he asked, looking irritable at her amused expression.

"Nothing," she assured him, and she yawned again before pulling her hair over a shoulder. "But perhaps you will think twice before deliberately goading me again."

His eyes were on her hands as she smoothed the loose strands falling over her shoulder into a semblance of order, and he lifted them to hers after a moment. "Surely you are not seeking vengeance?"

"Oh, no." Her hands stilled as she solemnly told him, "This is justice."

She smiled at him widely then, and then stood, feeling inordinately glad that he would be speaking to Kagoq the next day. And once she had moved to the bed and was settled under the covers, she pushed herself up onto her elbows and looked over at her husband.

Loki had pushed the books back over the settee and had pulled one onto his lap; he was staring at it, his expression blank as he read.

"Thank you for sending him a message from me. It means a great deal," she said quietly. And when he merely grunted without looking up, she lowered herself to the pillows.

The lights dimmed almost immediately, and she rolled away from the settee. There was a fire in the pit, and between its crackle and the sound of Loki's breathing, she was soon close to sleep. And as her eyes drifted shut, she wondered briefly what he was reading so intently, thinking that it must be interesting indeed…for she had not heard a page turn in minutes. Indeed, she was not sure if he had turned a page even once since she had lain down.

* * *

I have to admit, this update was a hoot to write. Especially the Lorelei part :D.

Thanks as always for your reviews, and comments below!

**Jax Jesilaux**-Thank you thank you thank you. It is always encouraging to hear that my OC is done well, and that I have done a decent job of plotting this all out. Thank you. Yes, I tend to update every 4-5 days, and I will be happy to let you edit. It is amazingly difficult to edit your own work, and no matter how many times I read something, I always miss something terribly obvious. So be on the lookout for PM ;).

**Mr-Stark-21**-And another huge thank you thank you thank you! I am thrilled that you became hooked during the prologue. Seriously, it is long and has so very little of Loki, and as I was writing it I thought that I'd most probably lose many readers' interest—but it was necessary for the story, so I went ahead, and thank you! And thank you for mentioning the first time Loki and Asrior saw each other. That scene is special and kind of indicative of everything about them. They _react _to the other, and it is very meaningful to the whole theme that he was the only one she never prayed to yet he is protecting her in the end…and for him of such derisive 'child at prayer/pathetic' comments to do so. I could go on, but will stop ;). One more thing, though. Asrior does have a beautiful spirit, and do you know what? Her name is modified from an old Norse one whose roots mean 'heathen god' and various forms of 'beautiful, good, alive, safe, beloved'. So I like to think of her as the beloved of a heathen god. We'll see how they actually get there.

**Kuramax Chan**-Je vous remercie pour vos aimables paroles. J'espère que vous avez aimé les chats dans ce chapitre! Et l'interaction continue entre Loki et Asrior. I hope that makes sense. I am using google translate, lol. Mr. McQueen speaks several languages, but I am, um, loathed to have him act as translator for me because he is patient enough with my fandoms without my involving him in them. Still, one of my favorite hobbies is asking him to translate words or phrases into something, though. He looks very cute when I randomly ask him how to say things like 'The squirrel is in the tub' in German.

**Guest**-I am inordinately thrilled that you found it fun and sweet and sad. So many sentiments, lol, but it's what I like. Hope you liked more cats this time around, and thank you for reviewing.

**SissyPerigrin**-Cats! Thanks, as always, for letting me know you liked it, and I really hope that you liked more cats this go around.

**Candy Flaps**-You know, he thought by the lake that if circumstances were different, he'd feel much differently about her. And now circumstances *are* different. But unfortunately, they're not different in a good way (or maybe the right way), because he's been such an ass. I will say that even after things, erm, come to a head, he will still have a few things to face up to. Thanks for the review, and here's to pets!

**BlooAngels**-Thank you! For everything. I hope you enjoyed reading this update and the continued evolution of Loki and Asrior. As you can see, he is working on breaking the curse. It's not a huge spoiler to say that Valtur used a very obscure piece of magic, but things will get figured out in time for… :D.

**Zippythewondersquirrel**-Oh, feels feels feels! You are not a bad person for being happy that Loki is sometimes miserable, and I do not feel very bad at all for what I will put him through by the end of this fic ;). I hope you enjoyed more of Loki being unable to talk via the curse. Thanks for your review!

**HarryPotterFreakie**-We should see Cap next chapter. I hope you enjoyed this one. I don't know if I'd call Loki's heart cuddly, but he does have one! (though he does not want to admit it) I hope you liked the latest update, and thanks for reviewing.

**ZappedOfOriginality**-Thank you!

**Sephe**-Thank you so much, I am happy to hear those words. Heart-wrenching especially ;). Thanks for reviewing, and here's to more heart wrenching later!

**NoVacancyMind**-I love jealous Loki! Because he's such a petulant little child and would never admit to being jealous, lol. We'll see what happens with Bruce and Tony in the next chapter (possibly 2, depending on how long it takes to play out). And, awwww, you have a crush? That's kind of cute. The fanfic says thank you. And I thank you for your review. And for making me laugh with the 'two bags of cats' comment!

**Shelly**-Thanks for your review, and, as you see, there were all kinds of cats in the trunk (though as I mentioned in past comments, they did not ride in the trunk the entire way). The gray one will indeed torment Loki. And the bird! I hope you liked that part.

**amakitkat**-Yes, more cats! Loki is being as sweet as possible for him, lol. He's not warm and cuddly, him. And the lemon'll be here soon enough. Thanks for reviewing!

**London calling**-Thank you very much for the review. He will find it harder as time goes on to keep his hands to himself, ha!

**vykrothe**-LOL, thank you! I love all caps ;). And feels! And, yes, it is to help make up for poor Ragnar. And Loki was very serious about his allowing the cats there (and for Tony and Bruce to bring them) as proof of his willingness to make things up to her.

**jnotjane**-Hee! A trunk full of cats. This scene popped into my head almost as soon as the idea for the story did. I can just picture Tony's face as he gets all proud of his joke. I hope you like the continued development of Asrior and Loki's relationship. Things get more interesting soon! Thanks for the review, as always, it means a lot to read them.

**Crede Biron**-Kittens! Cats! A load of them! And lemons! I hope you are happy with this update. Thanks for reviewing.

**sweets1111**-Thanks very much for the review! Cats, loads of them! And maybe more animals in future? If only to torment Loki? I hope you liked this latest update.


	18. Chapter 17-Kindness

A/N-This is the longest chapter yet and it took a long time to write. I hope it is worth reading and worth the wait.

Violence warning. Nothing horrible, but stuff gets talked about.

A HUGE thanks to Jax Jesilaux for editing and offering good suggestions. And for patiently helping with my excessive use of 'and's. It's a quirk I have due in large part to All the King's Men, especially the end of the first chapter (which I adore). While it works in Jack's voice in that book, but not necessarily everywhere else.

The working title for this was 'The Feels'. I certainly hope it lives up to its name ;).

OCs are mine, all else Marvel's.

* * *

**Chapter 17-Kindness**

The dwarf was in a garrison in Celle, near where Asrior was born, guarded as always by Thor's men. And Loki's appearance was expected if his reaction was any indication. He looked from the window when the god strode into the room, his mangled face showing no surprise, and the eye that watched him cross to where he sat was veiled.

Brandr, the captain of the men who guarded him, had warned that communicating with the dwarf would be difficult if not impossible—for in addition to his inability to speak or use what was left of his one hand to write, he also displayed a clear loathing of Asgardians. The only one he seemed to tolerate was Sif, and his recent movements around Asgard had angered him, despite the fact that it was for his protection.

Still, as Loki regarded his beaten face, he remembered that the dwarf's tongue had been cut out as punishment for trying to protect Asrior, and that she considered him her family. He dipped his head slightly before he began speaking, and though he did not deign to smile, his expression was one of respect.

"I am Loki of Asgard and ruler of the lower kingdoms," he began, and the dwarf grunted in response, acknowledging that he was aware of the god's identity. "I am also husband to Asrior, who was once in your charge."

The dwarf made no movement at her name; his face was set and unyielding as he stared up at the prince of Asgard that stood before him.

"She has told me your name, Kagoq, and she asked me to give a message to you."

Still, he did not move, though his expression became guarded as Loki spoke.

And so Loki, feeling rather foolish, began to recite what she had taught him. He put fingers to a wrist, and then moved his hand, fisting it and holding it against his chest. Then he touched the corner of his mouth with his fingers.

Kagoq's eye began to blink rapidly, and Loki, watching him with slight alarm, moved two fingers to his chest and then pointed to the dwarf.

When he lowered his hand after a second, he saw to his horror that Kagoq's mouth was now trembling.

Trying to hurry before the dwarf began to cry, Loki said, "There's more," and hoped to Hel the creature wouldn't be sobbing by the end of it.

But when he gave the dwarf the last of Asrior's message and finished his movements, to his surprise, Kagoq was not wailing and his expression was most certainly not one of despair.

He was smirking at the god in front of him and looked highly amused.

Loki sighed and could not keep the exasperation from his voice. "She has made a joke at my expense, hasn't she?"

The dwarf actually laughed, a sound that was raw and rough, but his expression was much friendlier, and he jabbed a hand toward a chair near his. And if his smile faded when Loki sat in it, at least his body visibly relaxed.

Leaning forward in his chair and clasping his hands in front of him, Loki considered the dwarf for a moment before he began to explain the reason for his visit. "I am here to ask your help. Asrior has taught me some of your signs so that I might understand your answers when I ask questions."

The dwarf looked wary, but nodded his assent for him to continue.

"You see, I am working with Thor to bring Valtur to justice for his crimes against Asgard. He remains closely allied with an Asgardian lord, one who lives in Nornheim in a palace that is cloaked by a powerful spell. And I have reason to believe that the spell is similar to the curse he used against you and Asrior and that now binds my words when I try to speak of what was done to my wife by her father."

The dwarf looked bemused at the words, so Loki put an elbow on his thigh, explaining, "I am unable to break these spells. If I can understand something about his sorcery, the basis for this particular kind of binding magic, perhaps I can undo them. And Asrior said that you might know something about Valtur's magic."

Kagoq looked uncertain now, but waved a hand for Loki to continue.

"I hoped you might know who he studied with…or whose sorcery that he modeled his own magic upon. If anyone visited him that knew great magic, or if he favored anyone particular as he worked at the craft. Do you understand what I need?"

The dwarf was nodding slowly, though his eyes remained unsure.

"Do you know much?"

He shook his head.

"But some?"

Kagoq nodded again.

"Very well." Loki pulled his chair slightly closer as he said, "Asrior taught me the signs for many magical beings from the nine realms, so we can start there. Was there a realm or being that…that held importance for him?"

The dwarf nodded again and moved his hands. Though his signs were clumsier than Asrior's had been, Loki was able to decipher what he said.

They spent over an hour together, with Kagoq telling him all he could remember…beings that Valtur had preferred, those whose magic he sometimes imitated, fragments of memories—and though it was not much, it gave Loki a more specific idea of where to focus his research.

As he was about to make his leave, Kagoq made a guttural sound, stopping Loki before he could stand.

"What?" he asked, and the dwarf shifted in his chair, looking frustrated. He thrust his arms toward Loki, his one mangled palm facing up, and his eyes were beseeching as he grunted again; and then he lifted his mangled hand up to the top of his ear, using the sign for 'elf'.

"You want…you want to know more about Asrior?" Loki asked, the words forming slowly as he understood. Kagoq, looking relieved, nodded, putting his hand in front of him, level with his shoulders and then raised it to the top of his head.

Loki remembered then that dwarf had been rescued the first time Valtur had been invited to court, years before. "She was yet a child when you saw her last. Is that right?"

The look in Kagoq's eye answered his question. It was mournful and hopeful at once, and it struck Loki how expressive his face was despite its battered nature. And as he thought of how to describe her, he immediately remembered Asrior as she'd been back then. She had been small in her heavy armor, a constant shadow at her father's side. Her vivid hair had always been pulled back tightly, showing off her elven ears, and her face had been expressionless.

Except for the time he caught her stealing the fruit.

He had thought her such an impassive, trifling little thing before that when she caught him watching her in her thievery and dared to stare defiantly back at him—the God of Mischief of all the gods—it had amused rather than angered him.

Loki understood then.

"She stole the peaches because she had to."

The words were so soft that he was surprised the dwarf heard him, and even more surprised that he understood the reference. But Kagoq made a knowing sound and his scarred face twisted into a bitter smile. He thumped an arm against his chest, and Loki knew that she had taken them to give to her protector.

And Loki remembered her words that it did not matter that she could not tell what her father did, for there was no one to listen. She had been under her father's whip even then, surrounded by gods whose deeds of bravery and strength were legend across the realms, warriors her own mother had boasted of—but if those same gods even noticed the silent elf-child with Asgardian blood that moved among them, they had dismissed her easily. She was Valtur's daughter. She was barely worth their contempt.

And she'd had more strength and courage than the lot of them put together.

"Let me… let me tell you what she is like now," he said finally, taking a deep breath, for it was difficult not to give in to the anger he felt for what she'd endured. And he looked at Kagoq with new esteem, and he tried to think of what the dwarf would want to know about her after so much time apart.

Loki began slowly, saying, "She is grown, an adult as you well know, and she…she was not overly harmed by Valtur. She perhaps bears more scars on her back as before, but he did not…do other things."

He tried not to look too hard at the dwarf's mangled hand and puckering where his other eye should have been, but he saw that Kagoq's face flooded with relief.

"She is very different now than when she was with him. She does not wear armor, and she wears her hair down without restrictions. And she is…" Loki paused, realizing that Banner had been right when he'd spoken of the rigid control she'd kept over herself before. "…she is much more comfortable. She seems to have come out from the shell she was in, and she…she does not allow herself to be easily controlled now that she is away from her father."

"You should know that she likes to take care of things." Loki's eyes grew unfocused as he thought of what she was like at the castle, and his words were softer as he recounted, "Living things—people and plants and animals. Indeed, she has littered my castle with that she seeks to watch over. She does not like to hurt others or see them hurt. She reads often and enjoys learning things and she smiles sometimes… "

The dwarf made a sound, pulling his attention to him again; and Loki saw that Kagoq looked close to weeping once more. So Loki shook his head a little and tried to forestall the tears by saying, "She can also be insolent and defiant, and has too sharp a tongue for her own good. She is as wont to argue as to breathe sometimes. But as much as she might vex me, you at least can take comfort in the knowledge that Valtur did not take away her spirit."

The dwarf laughed again, briefly, and after a moment, he put his mangled hand against the stump of the other and bowed his head, as though thanking him.

Loki gave him a quick nod in return, and as he readied to stand, he said solemnly, "Understand that I have sworn to protect her. Asrior is not alone anymore. And she…we are trying to bring you back to her. It is what she wants more than anything."

He stood then, moving to leave, but Kagoq stood as well and shook his head, moving his hands in signs that Loki did not recognize. And he kept repeating a few them again and again, before grunting and jutting his chin toward the god.

"You have a message for her?"

Kagoq smiled, as though pleased that he had realized what he wanted.

And so Loki found himself once again memorizing a signed message that he did not understand. Over and over he moved his hands in imitation of the dwarf's movements. It was longer than what Asrior had sent, and the dwarf looked amused at the god's growing annoyance.

When he was done, he asked Kagoq if his wife would tell him what the message said, and his question was met with a smirk. Loki sighed and promised that he would pass it along to Asiror, despite the fact that he was certain another jest was being made at his expense.

….

Asrior frowned at the cards in her hand and tried to remember the rules that Tony had taught her. Three of the cards had princes on them, and two had women, but she did not remember if the pair needed to be the same color—one had red hearts on it, and the other black clovers, and…

And Bruce, thankfully, leaned over to see what she held in her hands.

"Hey. No cheating," Tony grunted, glaring across the table.

"I already folded." Bruce sounded calm as always. "And it's not fair to take advantage of someone who just learned how to play."

Tony gave Hlin a sideways glance, looking resentfully at the large pile of bright-colored circles stacked in front of him. "He's doing ok."

"This game is very much like voormk, though," the boy said cheerfully. "We play it in the stables at night sometimes, once the stable hands finish their work. And you will not catch Asrior dead in the stables so she is not as good as I am."

Asrior ignored his comment and glanced at Bruce, who was pushing the entirety of her small pile of winnings into the middle of the table.

"Really?" she asked. "But I thought…"

"Really," Bruce answered, his face almost too calm.

Tony was looking from his face to Asrior's, frowning; and after a moment, he smirked. "You're bluffing," he said, pushing large pile of his circles into the middle of the table.

Hlin, grinning, put his cards face down and shook his head. "Not me. Not this time."

"All right. Time to put up." Stark flipped his cards over. "Full house, three tens, queens high."

She slowly moved her cards over, smiling when she realized her hand was better. "But I have three princes. And two queens as well."

"Jacks. They're called jacks," Bruce said, grinning at her, as Stark was scowling and muttering something under his breath about elves and cookies.

Hlin began to gather the scattered cards together and asked, "Shall we begin again?"

And as Tony continued to grouse, Asrior, looked at the door, waiting for it to open. She barely noticed when Sazur jumped onto the table and lay down so that his thin grey body was stretched in front of her.

"Watching won't help," Bruce said quietly, and she pulled her eyes from the other side of the room to look at him.

"But waiting is very difficult. I have been so long without speaking to Kagoq." Her hand went to the cat in front of her, stroking the patchy fur.

"I know." Something about the look in his eyes told her that he was thinking of the woman he had loved before the accident that had turned him into the 'other guy', as he called it. The one he told her he would not allow himself to be around for fear of harming her.

Asrior slid her hand from the cat to Bruce's arm and rested her hand on his sleeve, about to offer words of encouragement when the door to the room pushed open.

She flipped her head around, her heart in her throat as she watched Loki move across the room.

He paused at the edge of the table, a brow arching as his eyes slid over her; and Asrior realized that her hand was still on Bruce's arm. Her face grew hot, though there was no reason to feel bothered. So she kept her hand where it was and turned to the Midgardian, her voice low as she said, "Your wait, I hope, will be over in time."

And only then did she slide her hand from his arm, turning to place it back on Sazur, stroking him as she looked at her husband and asked, "You have spoken with Kagoq?"

His nostrils flared briefly, and she knew that he was holding tight to his annoyance. She thought that she should feel wicked for deliberately baiting him, but then told herself that it was his own fault for being so quickly displeased.

"Yes, I have spoken with him," he said, but his eyes flickered across the table. "You are playing games?"

"Poker," Tony said, and he locked his hands behind his head, leaning back in his chair as he spoke. "Bruce and I are done here, so I thought I'd teach Asrior to play. Teach her more about Earth for when you bring her to Stark Tower."

Asrior, who had been watching Loki from under her lashes, tore her eyes from him to stare at the Midgardian.

But it was Hlin who spoke. "Stark Tower? You mean…your castle on Midgard?"

"Yes, his castle on Midgard, though it looks nothing like our architecture," Loki replied, and he did not look surprised at Tony's words. "But you are not going, Hlin, so do not excite yourself."

"But…" Asrior began, looking confused. "What do you mean? Am I to go to Midgard?"

"I can't finish my work here. There's too much equipment needed, and it's easier for you to come to me rather than the other way around," Tony explained.

She looked at Loki, who was tugging on his lip as though thinking.

"Really?" she asked him, surprised that he would agree to visit the realm he so loathed, and one where he was hated.

"Yes," he grunted, lowering is hand. "I have tried to think of adequate excuses, but there is no other way. If we are to give you a means to protect yourself, we have to rely on Stark."

He said the last word as though it was a curse, and Tony's eyes narrowed. "Be thankful that I'm doing even doing this. You know I'm out of the business."

Asrior was even more confused, and seeing her face, Bruce explained, "Tony doesn't make weapons anymore. Outside of his work we've told you about, he's…"

"Tony Stark: genius, billionaire, devoted partner to Pepper Potts, philanthropist…and former superhero," Tony said, smirking.

"I was going to say 'retired'," Bruce was shaking his head at the other man, and he looked as Asrior and explained, "He doesn't fight anymore. He doesn't make weapons."

Loki made a scoffing sound, and his hands flexed, and she could tell that he was biting back a scathing remark.

But Tony looked at him and lifted a shoulder, and his voice was calm. "I know what you're thinking, Caligula. You think I'm weak or spineless or _dull_, but I've seen too much destruction. I've taken part in too much of it, and I've almost lost too much because of it. I've done my part. I hope I haven't done too much here."

Asrior's eyes were flitting between her husband and the Midgardian, and when Tony finished, she said, "If you do not make weapons, then I must thank you for what you have done here. For trying to help me."

He smiled at her, his face free of arrogance for once. "I sometimes make exceptions for my friends. It's why I agreed to help Thor. It's why I'm helping you," he admitted, and then, as though unable to help himself, he gave her a flippant look. "Keebler."

Her face slowly broke into a smile, and Loki made a sound in his throat before saying, "I hate to break into this display of fondness, but if you want to discuss Kagoq, you should come with me, Asrior."

She stopped the grin that threatened when Tony rolled his eyes, instead standing and giving her husband a sedate look, murmuring, "Very well," before following him from the room.

They walked in silence, for she somehow knew that he would not speak before they were in his workroom. When they arrived there, she moved to her settee and settled against the pillows, clasping her hands on her lap and waiting.

Loki sat in one of the chairs near her, and Sazur, having somehow followed them, jumped into another; and after throwing a nasty look at the cat, he turned his attention to her.

"How is Kagoq?" she asked when he was settled. "Is he…is he well?"

"He was… Well, I am not sure if he is well, for I have no idea what he was like before. But he was very glad to receive your message," Loki explained, watching her carefully. "I thought he was likely to weep at one point, but the last part made him laugh. What exactly did you tell him?"

She bit her lip, for he looked annoyed; and he had, to his credit, been very patient with her moods in the wake of her injury. So she cast her eyes on her hands and admitted, "I may have said that you could be stupid." And before he could say anything, she looked up at him in challenge and said, "And you can be. And I think I have a right to think as much."

When he simply pressed his lips together and grunted, she offered, "I also told him to trust you. And…and I said I trusted you."

Her voice was lower at the end, but she kept her eyes locked with his, and Loki's shoulders relaxed slightly at her admission.

"I was told that he does not like Asgardians," he said then, surprising her. "Is that why you told him to trust me?"

She nodded. "Yes. There is very little of this realm that he admires. He has a certain fondness for its fruit. And…and perhaps for me."

Loki simply looked at her and something flared in his green eyes that was sharp and gentle at once; and it so surprised her that she almost did not hear his words.

"He was able to help me. How much, I cannot say as of yet, but your lessons were very useful." His eyes were back to normal, and he was rubbing the back of his neck with a hand. "And he gave me a message for you."

"He did?" She smiled, sitting up eagerly. "What is it?"

Even as she straightened and leaned forward in anticipation, he sighed deeply and slouched against the back of the chair, muttering, "The dwarf needs to be here immediately if only to stop my acting as a deaf and dumb herald. This grows tiresome."

Asrior bit back her retort and clasped her hands again, trying to keep her face in patient lines as she waited for his sulk to be over. After a moment, he sighed again and sat up with a determined expression and began to sign Kagoq's message.

Her heart began to beat wildly as he moved, for it was almost impossible to believe that she finally had word from Kagoq. And as he spoke through Loki, she knew that if she were capable of tears, they would have flooded from her. But other than the trembling of her lips, she did not move.

_Be brave. Be happy. I am proud of you and love you. You once said I could live with you when you married and we could have all the peaches we wanted. I will be ready when you can send for me._

As he signed, Loki watched her with a wary expression that turned almost to relief when she remained composed. As the emotions flooded her, Asrior pressed her hands to her chest and smiled at her husband, opening her mouth to thank him.

But he held up a hand. "There's a little more."

He almost looked resigned as he began signing again, and her look of joy as he moved turned to something entirely different.

_Be nice to him for he protects you now. And tell your husband this for me—her tongue may be sharp and it is her nature to argue, but if you love her, you can perhaps temper these faults. _

Heat flooded her face, and she drew in a sharp breath and held it, not believing what he'd said.

"What?" Loki asked, leaning forward, his face keen. "He did not jest about me?"

"No!" The word exploded from her, and she had to shove her hands under her thighs to stop herself from covering her face. "He made a jest of me!"

Loki's brow rose and he looked to almost laugh. "Did he?" He leaned back in his seat again, crossing his boots in front of himself and looking quite pleased. "What did he say?"

Asrior fell back into the cushions and scowled at him, as though it was his fault that Kagoq had sent such a message. "He told me to be nice to you."

"And?" His eyes held a knowing glint. "That was much longer than 'be nice'."

"It is nothing for you to be concerned about," she snapped. "And what did you say to him about me?"

He smirked and lifted a shoulder. "The truth."

Sazur chose that moment to launch himself gracefully onto Loki's lap; and though Asrior knew it was childish, she was pleased to see the quickness with which her husband's expression turned from smug satisfaction to alarm as he pushed the cat back to the floor.

He scowled at her when he saw her amusement, and she frowned back. "I do not argue."

"He told you to behave, didn't he?" His grimace was changing back to pleasure.

Asrior pulled her hands from beneath her thighs and placed them on her lap, adopting a calm expression and refused to answer him, instead saying, "We are truly going to Midgard?"

Loki eyed her for a moment, almost smiling, but he did not protest her movement away from the topic of Kagoq's message. "Yes. Stark says his work will go quicker there. You are not worried about travel to that realm?"

"No. I think it will be rather exciting," she confessed. "Their realm sounds most interesting. Bruce has told me very much of it."

"Has he?" Loki looked at his hands for a moment before raising his eyes back to hers, and they were filled with his usual scorn when he spoke of the mortal realm. "It is a place of weak-minded fools. There is very little of value there."

Asrior refused to be provoked, and raised her chin and defended, "It is home to Tony and to Bruce, and they are trying to protect me. I would not call their value little, not to me."

"You value them for their protection of you?" His shoulders stiffened as he spoke of the mortals.

"Not only for that, no," she said, feeling almost affronted. "It is not because they help, but why. They may have agreed to help for Thor at first, but they are friends to me now, and they have been very kind."

He grunted. "Kindness."

"Yes, kindness. It means a great deal to me."

Loki was staring at his hands and his jaw was clenched; and Asrior remembered that she had once called him such, when she'd thanked him for giving her books by the lake. He had found the term amusing, no doubt because of his trickery, but she suddenly remembered his laughing answer.

_I'm not really being kind now._

It was like a blow, the realization that he had told her the truth that day, and it had amused him. _She_ had amused him, standing there like a fool and trusting the God of Lies, and he had outright laughed at her blindness. She had been so grateful in recent days that he knew of her scars that the memory of his deceit leading to their marriage had lessoned, but the hurt and betrayal of it came flooding back in a rush so painful that she almost flinched.

She had been weak after trying so hard to be strong. He had been right to call her pathetic.

Loki had turned his eyes to her again, and she wondered if her feelings showed, for his pale green gaze was growing concerned. He leaned toward her, saying, "Asrior…"

But her face couldn't tell him anything, for the mask she'd abandoned was back. She would not allow herself to look vulnerable, not around him, she would die before doing so. So she called on her long years at Valtur's side and kept her face expressionless when she looked at him, calmly saying, "If we are done, I would like to go back to Bruce and Tony now."

"Wait…"

She stood, though, moving to the door as though he hadn't spoken, and when she was in the hall, she heard the sound of his boots on the floor behind her. She continued walking, her body controlled and her eyes impassive as they walked.

Loki was silent as he trailed her, not speaking until she put her hand on the door that led to where the mortals sat.

"Stop this," he said fiercely, and she realized that he was angry. "You do not have to hide yourself. I told you, you can tell me how you feel. Shout at me if you must…"

Asrior turned to him as she pushed the door open, and her voice was even as she said, "I do not want to shout right now." But she pressed her lips together as she regarded him, for her hold on her emotions was growing thin. He was her protector now, and he had proved himself committed to her wellbeing; but the memory of his tricks was painfully raw, and she did not want him to witness her distress. "Please give me time to myself. It is the least you can do."

His lips twisted, and she saw that one of his hands was in a fist, as though he ached to hit something.

"Very well, if that is what you want." And he just stared at her for a moment, before he spoke again with a clipped voice, saying, "Tell Saldis I won't be in for supper."

He turned on his heel and stalked down the hall, and Asrior watched until he was out of sight. Even when he turned from the hallway, she did not move, not until she felt a hand on her shoulder and Hlin's voice behind her.

"Is everything all right?"

She looked over her shoulder at him and blinked. "Yes. Everything is fine."

Though she was sure he too heard the hard echo of the slamming door that came from deeper in the castle.

….

Loki rode Falhofnir hard, deep into the countryside and then back again when he began to worry that he strayed too far afield. By the time he arrived back at the castle, stars were littering the sky. He strode upstairs quickly and checked on Asrior, looking in her chambers to find Hlin watching over her while she slept.

But he did not stay.

Instead, Loki went to his workroom and entrenched himself behind his desk. He did not study, though, or even move to open one of the books stacked on the polished wood surface. He simply sat, brooding in silence, and he was not sure how much time had passed before he called a servant to bring him wine.

He eventually moved to a chair in front of the fireplace and spent the night there, drinking from his goblet in fits. He made the fire roar with a flick of his hand, and then lowered it, and then with an almost casual air that would fool most observers, he began turning the fire colors—green and then red and then purple, on and on; and he stared at it as though mesmerized.

But he did not see the flames. Instead, he saw Asrior as she'd been earlier, cold and aloof and shielded. She'd looked as she did when she lived with her father.

Only this time, she hid herself because of him.

Because she had remembered. Because he had so thoughtlessly trifled with her before. Because he had not even bothered to consider how his lies would affect her when he set out to make use of her, for she was nothing more than a dark elf and a thief.

It was not like he couldn't have seen who she was if he had tried. She had been reserved when she'd lived in the villages, but she allowed glimpses of herself to show. She'd thrown away her armor immediately and had begun to wear her hear looser. She'd craved company so much that she had welcomed his. She'd smiled like the sun when he'd called her his friend, and she'd cradled the damn book he gifted her with like it was treasure because she thought he was being _kind_ when he gave her things to read. And she valued kindness.

But he had not wanted to see. She was Valtur's daughter. She had barely been worth his contempt.

He was, in the end, no better than any of the others, and worse, he had willfully used her as her father had. The knowledge was a wound.

At some point, light filled the room, and Hlin came in, his voice quiet. "Tony and Bruce are set to leave soon. Are you seeing them off?"

Loki moved to his desk at his words and barely glanced at him as he said, "No. Just tell them we'll be at Stark Tower at the end of the week as agreed upon."

The boy did not move despite the obvious dismissal in his voice, instead asking, "Are you joining us for breakfast?"

"No."

When he didn't say more, Hlin finally left, and Loki sat at his desk and opened one of the books and tried to read. He managed to turn one of the pages, but it took time, and he had barely turned another when the door opened again.

He did not understand how he was sure, but he knew it was Asrior that entered. And he affixed his eyes firmly to the page in front of him and did not look up as she walked across the room.

When she set something onto the desk, he looked at it, but not at her. He saw that it was a plate filled with food from breakfast, and he grunted.

"Saldis said that even princes of Asgard have to eat. You missed supper last night."

"I'm not hungry."

He frowned, because he sounded like a child when he said it. His wife must have agreed because she said, "You're sulking." His eyes snapped to hers at that, and he noticed that the mask was gone. She looked annoyed, and she'd crossed her arms as she watched him. "I know you did not rest upstairs last night. Did you even sleep?"

"No," he said tersely, and he saw that she was paler than normal and had circles under her eyes. "Did you?"

"Not very well," she admitted, and surprised him when she unfolded her arms and added, "And you are not like him, so if that is why you are acting this way, you need to stop."

Loki pushed back is chair so hard that tilted over, suddenly enraged at her show of mercy. "Do not lie to me, elf. I…I am aware of my sins, and your words cannot change them."

"No, your actions cannot be undone," she agreed, and her expression was maddeningly patient as she moved to pick up his chair. "But you asked me to speak the truth to you, and I am here to do so."

"Then say it," he gritted, and walked to the fireplace again, raising his hand to rekindle the fire and turning it blue.

"I am not lying when I say that you are nothing like him. I have witnessed firsthand the depths of his depravity and understand very well what you have done to me," she said as she walked to stand beside him "Perhaps you have been as malevolent with others as Valtur is to everyone, but you were not that way with me. Your sins against me are less than his."

He was breathing hard, and when she paused, he glanced at her. Asrior's eyes were focused on the fire as his had been, and she sounded as though she had rehearsed the words before coming in.

"I am not absolving you of your misdeeds. You…hurt me very much when you used me so, and I will not easily forget it. I will sometimes get angry with you when I remember, and perhaps I will shout, or feel the need to be alone. But you are as big a fool as I if you somehow imagine that your misdeeds are equal to his." She turned to look at him, and her blue gaze was fierce. "I am still angry with you now. I do not know how long this will last. But we need to move forward, as you once said."

Loki pressed his lips together, for he did not believe her. "I am not kind, Asrior."

She tilted her head. "No. You are not. But that does not make you equal to Valtur."

After a moment she left; and as the week progressed they spoke little. There was a chill between them, fostered by his refusal to believe her sentiments and her memories of his betrayal.

Still, when they readied to journey to Midgard, a slight thaw began to crack at the ice when yet another tunic and pair of pants arrived from Gaula. He gave them to her himself, finding her with Hogun and her bird in the greenhouse as she demonstrated a new song on the whistle.

He'd stood just inside the doorway, listening; and when she finished and noticed him, he moved forward, ignoring the warrior as he thrust the package at her.

"You will need these for the journey to Stark Tower. Your Asgardian gowns will be out of place there and these will be more comfortable in their environment." After she took the bundle from him, he muttered, "I sincerely hope that this is the last time I have to replace these."

She had not smiled at him, simply nodding instead; but that evening as they sat for supper, she was more talkative.

Now, as she stood beside him by the portal dressed in the pale green tunic and darker green pants, her fingers nervously traced the tiny, colorfully embroidered birds that lined the cuff of her sleeve. Her head swiveled to the side after a moment as she eyed his heavy leather coat.

"Your clothes do not look like Bruce or Tony's," she said, watching as he began to activate the device.

Loki looked over his shoulder, "I can change my appearance once I arrive there. And in any case, I am not welcome to leave the confines of Stark Tower, so it will not matter." She raised a brow at that, but did not say anything, simply moving to stand by him when he put his hand on the portal's lever.

Her arm curled around his free one, and she clutched the bag she held to her body as Loki murmured, "Hold on," activating the way to Midgard.

Loki could feel the familiar rush of air as they were pulled through it, as well as the feel of Asrior against him as they flew through the sparks of light. And then they were there, on the roof of Stark Tower, their feet landing hard.

Asrior swayed slightly when they arrived, and Loki pulled the arm woven through his against his side in an attempt to steady her. He looked down as he did so, finding that she was paying little attention to him, for her eyes were round as she gazed at the city before them.

"Bruce showed me pictures, but this is…it is unbelievable," she whispered, sounding stunned at the endless rows of buildings that stretched out and around.

He grunted and was close to saying something rude about Midgardian aesthetics when Stark's voice called from behind them, "Keebler!"

It was only then that Asrior seemed to realize that she still held on to Loki's arm, for she pulled it away quickly, turning to smile and wave at the mortal.

Stark was walking toward them, smirking at the god as he said, "Welcome back." He looked around at the rooftop and his chest heaved in a mockingly reminiscent sigh. "Brings back memories, doesn't it? You losing the Glowstick of Destiny. Calling Bruce _dull_. Us winning."

Loki ignored him and began walking to the penthouse door.

"But that's all in the past," Stark was saying behind him. "Hey…Asrior, come on inside, you can look at the view from there. And Pepper's been dying to meet you."

Soon, the trio was in the grand room that was center to Stark's personal space in the tower. Waiting inside was a thin, excited-looking woman in Midgardian clothing.

She gave Loki a cautious look as he walked in, but Tony was behind him, saying, "Pepper…you know who the God of Getting His Ass Kicked is from the news, but this lovely woman beside me is Asrior of Asgard."

Loki bit back his sneer at Stark's attempt to goad him and turned to watch the blonde female almost run across the room, her hand held out as she said, "I have heard so much about you. It's so nice to meet you. I'm Pepper Potts…"

"It is very nice to meet you," Asrior said, looking slightly alarmed at the enthusiasm with which the other female took her hand.

The light above a metal door lit up as a bell chimed, and Stark looked over as the doors slid open and two men walked out.

"Ah… here, come meet Cap," Stark said, pulling Asrior from the other woman and pushing her in the direction of the newcomers. And as she moved away, Stark looked at the blonde and muttered, "Easy there, sweetheart."

"But she's an elf," Pepper whispered, still staring at Asrior. "An elf!"

Loki scoffed under his breath and moved to where his wife stood talking to the monster and the soldier, the latter of which looked at him with great distrust.

Banner was talking to Asrior, saying, "…after we're done there, I'll take you the schwarma place I told you about. A promise is a promise."

"Schwarma?"

Both Loki and Steve spoke at the same time, the god narrowing his eyes and the soldier sounding intrigued.

"You're going for schwarma?" Steve asked. "Do you mind I tag along?"

"Of course not," Asrior assured him eagerly. "I have so much to ask you about. And I want to see everything here."

"Do not play games with her," Loki said testily, glaring at the two Midgardians. "She cannot go into the city unescorted."

Asrior opened her mouth to argue, but Banner gave her a quick look that forestalled her words by saying, "She won't be unescorted. I'll be there."

"But I won't be with her, and it is too dangerous for Asrior to be alone with adequate protection…"

"You're seriously telling me that I'm inadequate? After I made a crater right over there with your body?" Bruce asked, stepping agitatedly closer to the god.

"You caught me unaware," Loki began, breathing out harshly. "Given half a chance…"

Before he could finish, a hand slapped him on the shoulder and Stark was saying jovially, "Hey, if you're worried about your wife being out with another man, don't. Cap'll be with them."

The soldier in question had moved over to the Midgardian woman, and was looking at the pasty expanse of limbs exposed by her short dress with concern and said, "You should put a sweater on, Miss Potts. It's getting chilly outside, and you don't want to catch a cold."

"In fact…" Stark said, looking amused as the soldier tried to offer the woman his leather jacket, "I can't think of a better chaperone than our Captain America."

Asrior had her arms folded, and when she spoke, her words were simple. "I'm going, and you cannot stop me."

Loki wanted to tell her that indeed he could stop her, and quite easily too, but she had a mulish look in her eyes that boded ill for the days ahead if he pushed the matter. So he gritted his teeth and looked at Stark. "Do you have a means of contacting me if anything happens?"

And as the mortal handed him a metal device he called a cell phone, Asrior moved away from the men. She began pushing a panel of buttons on a wall, her eyes widening as each one lit up, and Steve, looking over in alarm, said, "You might not want to do that Ma'am!"

"Access to Mr. Stark's laboratory is restricted," a disembodied voice said then. "Please do not attempt to enter."

Asrior jumped back and smiled, saying, "Jarvis!"

Stark seemed to remember something and asked, "Jarvis? How long will the assembly take?"

"Another three hours, sir," the voice said.

"Good, good. We can work more after dinner." Stark rubbed his hands and looked over at Banner. "Did I hear someone say schwarma? Pepper, you want?"

Before she could answer, Loki growled, "Can someone direct me to my chambers? If everyone is leaving, at least allow me time to conduct my own research."

The Potts woman rushed forward at that, looking embarrassed. "I am so sorry, I forgot to show you your rooms," she said, though she was looking at Asrior rather than him. "Please…follow me, and I'll show you where you'll be staying while you're here."

And so they followed the mortal female onto the elevator, down a few floors, and then down a short hall where the woman pushed open a door.

"It's one of our guest suites," she was saying as she walked inside. "The others are a floor above, but Tony said that your husband would need quiet and space for his own work."

"This is lovely," Asrior assured her as she looked around the sitting room. It was decorated with sleek leather settees and a fireplace, while Midgardian paintings adorned the wall. A large window offered an expansive view of the city, and a door across from it led to another room that looked even larger.

"The main bedroom's right through there, along with a bath," the blonde said, chattering happily. "There's a study off of that with a computer, and a smaller bedroom past there, in case you're up late working." She gave Loki a quick look. "And there's an intercom system that you can use if you need anything. Jarvis can do more than just help Tony with his inventions."

"Thank you very much," Asrior said, smiling at her. "When I put my things away, I can take…the…what was it called? I can take it back upstairs?"

"I'll take you up," Loki muttered, giving the other woman a sour look, for he wanted her gone.

When the woman finally left, Asrior wandered into the next room with Loki on her heels. It was indeed larger than the other one, with not only an enormous bed inside, but dark furniture made with clean lines and another fireplace, one flanked by large cushioned chairs.

"You do not mind staying by yourself?" she was asking, as she thumped her bag onto the bed and began digging inside.

"Of course not." Loki pushed another of the doors open to reveal a room with a large desk to one side; there was a long chaise in the room as well, along with several of the realm's electronic items. "I just do not think that it is safe for you to be without my presence nearby."

"Mmmmm," she mused, still digging in the bag. "But only Hlin knows that we are here, and between Bruce and Tony, I will be protected. They say that Steve is powerful as well."

Loki grunted, "Yes, but they are not sorcerers," and watched as her face lit up as she pulled a small box from the bottom of her bag. "There you are!"

"What is that?" he asked despite himself, for Asrior looked very pleased.

But her face changed at his question, and she sighed and opened the box, tilting it so that something small and golden and glittering dropped into her hand.

"It is Tony's ring," she began, and when Loki's eyes narrowed, hers did as well. "Do not look at me like that! He gave it to me, I did not steal it!"

"I didn't say you stole it," he defended, though it had been on the tip of his tongue to accuse her of thievery. "But if you did not take it, how is it in your possession?"

"He gave it to me." Her chin jutted out as though to challenge him. "He paid me to work with them when they first arrived at Okershall. I told them that I would not help unless they did so."

"He… What?" Loki asked, stunned. "Why would you…"

"I needed money." She crossed her arms, the ring held tightly in her fist. "You took what I had gathered, and I needed something to live on when I was to run away. Now that you know the truth and have vowed to help me when this is all over, I do not need his ring."

The nerve in his jaw was twitching again as he watched her, and he was suddenly struck with the knowledge that her stealing had always been about protection.

"You were trying to run away?"

"Of course." She looked at him as though he had sprouted another pair of eyes or a second head. "I tried to take some of the silver at the castle, but Hlin would count it all before I came into the room. He kept catching me with it in my pockets." She looked chagrined as she admitted as much, and then her face changed so that it was almost guilty again. "And I did not burn the dresses I bought for our marriage. I saved them to sell on the black market."

"Did you?" he asked, not sure whether to be annoyed at her attempts to pilfer his silver or to admire her tenacity.

"Yes. And though I do not need to sell the gowns, I will not wear them. I am…I am still very angry about your lies. But…I am much more content now that I do not have to worry about how I will survive on my own or whether you will send me to Valtur. Thank you for that."

She sounded sincere, but he could not see her eyes, for she was looking at the ring in her hand. Loki cleared his throat, for it felt oddly scratchy.

"I could not do otherwise," he muttered, and then, louder, asked, "Are you sure you will feel safe going out with the others?"

"Oh, yes." Asrior lifted her head and her eyes lit up again.

"Very well," he grunted and moved to the door that led to the sitting room. "But know that if Stark alerts me that there is trouble, I will not stay here and do nothing."

"But you have to stay…" she began.

Loki looked down at her, unable to keep the hauteur from his voice. "Do you really think I will allow their rules to prevent me from leaving this tower or defend that which I am sworn to protect? I might give these mortals the illusion that they can dictate me, but I can assure you, there is nothing they can do to control me. I will do what I want."

Asrior was staring at him as though seeing him for the first time. His body began to itch as she watched him, and after a moment, feeling oddly disconcerted, he said, "I should take you upstairs."

Loki took her to the elevator and showed her how to use it. Once everyone had left, he went back to their suite. He went into the study and shoved the metal thing the mortals called a laptop onto a side chair before spreading his books over the desk. He was soon deep into one of the texts he had brought with him from the castle. Time seemed to move slowly, though, and when he finally heard movements in the next room, it had long been dark outside.

Closing the book he'd been reading with a snap at the sound of rattling, Loki pushed back from the desk and slid into the bedroom to find Asrior by the bed, an array of bags spread in front of her.

"Hello," she said when she noticed him, sounding happy. "Did you get much work done?"

"Yes, actually," he said, leaning against the door frame. "Whatever is all of that?"

"Presents." She shoved one of the bags aside and reached for a small, oily-looking white package and moved toward him with it in her hand. "I brought this back for you."

He took it from her outstretched hand and eyed the bundle warily. "This is a present?"

"No, it's schwarma. In case you have not had supper."

He stared at it, and after a second, cautiously began to open the wrapper. The food inside looked cold and highly unappetizing, so he thrust it onto a table by the door.

His wife did not notice, for her attention was on the items on the bed. There appeared to be quite a few things, and after a moment, it occurred to Loki to ask, "How did you pay for all of that?"

"I didn't. I told Tony that you would pay him back." She threw him a quick look. "And do not get offended. He wanted to give these things to me, but I refused. I did not think you would appreciate me taking charity from him."

"No. You were right to do that," he muttered and stepped closer to the bed. She was looking into yet another bag, and her whole body seemed to shimmer with excitement. And so Loki found himself reluctantly asking, "What… what did you buy?"

"Oh…" She looked at him in surprise. "Well, we went to an area called China Town, where they had the most amazing things for sale. And everyone was haggling. It was much like the black market."

And she began to pull things from the bags. An assortment of oddly named sweets and gilded red lanterns for the children at the Halfjornson farm. A shawl for his housekeeper and scarf for Ulvgeir. A small gadget filled with useful silver tools—blades and scissors and a corkscrew—that she bought for Hogun. Several items decorated with a white cat that wore a red bow on its head for Hlin.

And to his surprise, she pulled out something wrapped in whisper-thin paper and thrust the item at him.

"What is this?" he asked, trying not to sound suspicious, for he could not imagine that she had thought of him when she was buying presents. "More food?"

She looked almost embarrassed. "A gift. For you."

"For me?" He stared at the package in his hand. It was not large, but yet it had weight. "But…you are angry with me."

"I am trying to move beyond it," she said quietly.

Loki began to peel the paper away, revealing a box made of pale green jade decorated with a scrolling pattern carved on to its top. He stared at it, surprisingly moved by her gesture, and wondered if she knew that he had not been given a present by anyone since… since Frigga.

"I noticed that you seem to have more things on your desk than boxes, and so…"

Asrior's voice trailed off, and he looked up at her. She was biting her bottom lip as though unsure as to his reaction, and Loki wanted to let her know that he more than appreciated her gift. Only he suddenly wanted to show her by putting his hand behind her neck and touching his mouth to hers, but she would not welcome such from him.

He blinked and tried to find the words to express his appreciation, finally saying, "Thank you." His voice was gruff, but she must have found it sincere, for she gave him the smallest of smiles. "I know that I am not kind, but…I admire those who are, very much. And you…you are a very kind person, Asrior."

He tried not to think of the book he'd given her that day by the lake, and he wondered if she remembered too, for her face seemed to spasm for a moment. But it passed, and she looked at him with clear eyes, and her smile grew wider as she realized, "You might not think so when you have to pay Tony. Can it really be a gift if you are the one buying it?"

And then she was yawning and saying that she wanted to retire, and that the Potts woman wanted to take her to something called a spa day if she had time before they left.

As she began to put the packages away, Loki asked if she would be able to sleep with him in the study, for he wanted to finish reading the book he'd started. Asrior waved him away, muttering that he was the one who insisted upon sitting by her side every night, and that she was more than happy to be alone. And in little time, he was back at the desk and the light was out in the other room.

But at some point deep in the night, he heard her.

It was an awful sound, strangled, as though she muffled a scream. For a heartbeat, Loki thought she was being attacked, but he could not feel any magic. And as he rushed through the door, the sounds became louder.

He found her in the middle of the bed, on her side, curled into a ball, her arms covering her head as though cowering from something. She was shaking, the violence of it apparent even in the darkness.

"Asrior!"

The sounds coming from her grew worse. It was as though she was struggling to breathe, and before he could think, Loki was kneeling on the bed and reaching for her. He pulled her up and towards him, and she began to struggle against his hands. Her arms moved from her head and hit out at him, and her eyes were open and wide. She was still gasping, as though something heavy sat upon her chest.

"Asrior…" he tried again, grunting when one of her arms made contact with his face. He managed to pin her arms down and pulled her body against his. Then pressing his mouth against her ear, he ordered, "Asrior, stop. It is a dream. You are not with him anymore."

Something that he said registered, for she stopped struggling and turned her face into his chest. Though her eyes were unfocused, one of her hands moved, tentatively touching the wool of his tunic.

"Loki?"

Her voice was a rasp, and she sounded unsure.

"Yes," he whispered, gathering her further against him as he began to take her from the bed; her body was still shaking hard, and as he began to carry her to one of the chairs by the fireplace, repeating, "Yes. It's Loki. You were having a nightmare."

She was still trembling as he sat down, and he waved an impatient hand at the fireplace. As the flames roared to life, he reached to the other chair and pulled off a small blanket that was draped over its arm.

Asrior had her hands over her face, and though she was not gasping anymore, her breathing was still shaky and erratic as though another wail threatened to break from her.

Loki held her against him with one arm and draped the blanket over her, saying again, "It was a dream. You are on Midgard now."

But she was shaking her head against him. "It… it is so real…" And she took a great gulping breath as though holding back a sob. "I could feel it…"

"What? What happened, Asrior?" Loki asked, one of his hands moving to press her body further into his in an effort to still her shivering. "You need to tell someone. Perhaps it will make it better."

"No." The word was thick and she shook her head, her eyes still covered by her hands.

"Why not?" He could not keep the frustration from his voice. "I do not understand why you put yourself though this..."

"Because I wanted my mother." The words were almost a howl. "In the dream, I wanted her, and if… if I feel it again, I will start to cry for want of her."

"There is nothing wrong with your crying," he began, and her head shot up. Her eyes were wet and wild and desperate, and she tried to push herself away from him.

"Yes, there is," she said, struggling as his arms grew tighter, her voice growing even more agitated. "I cannot cry for her. It is forbidden."

"You are not with him anymore." Loki almost shook her. "It is not wrong to grieve your mother. I have grieved mine, I know…"

She stopped struggling, but her chest began to shake with dry sobs. "No, you do not know. You were allowed to mourn. You do not understand what it was like for me when she was gone, and… and…"

But she stopped, for a tear had escaped her rigid control and was sliding slowly down a cheek, and shock filled her face at the feel of it.

"No." Her voice was barely a whisper, and it was filled with despair, for more tears were falling. She began shaking her head at her inability to stop them, and her voice shook as she began crying in earnest. "No!"

"It's all right. You are allowed tears," Loki whispered and lifted his hand to her head, but her body was shaking with the force of her crying, and the look she gave him was both fearful and desperate.

"I cannot… it will not stop…" she managed, so stunned that she did not protest when he brought her head against his chest.

"You do not have to stop. Not until you are ready," he said softly, moving so that his mouth was close to her ear again.

Her forehead rested on his chest, and she moved her hands to her face once more, unable to stop herself from giving vent to the sorrow she had hidden for so long. Her grief was brutal and messy and endless, and he did was not sure how long it lasted. It seemed to go on forever.

She moved her hands at one point and wrapped her arms around his middle, keeping her face pressed against his chest, as though to hide it. Loki simply held onto her, keeping silent, though his face grew darker the more she wept.

The sobs slowed to whimpers that shook her chest, and he wanted to do something more. Her need for comfort finally overcame guilt, and Loki put his hand to her hair then, tentative at first. He began stroking it away from her face, his fingers slowly brushing back the dark red strands of hair. She turned her face into the touch, as though she welcomed it, but the tears were still streaming onto his tunic.

When she began trying to take in deep breaths, as she'd done when the pain of her wound began to burn, Loki's hand stilled for a moment as he remembered. He found himself humming the slow and melancholic tune she'd sung to herself as she had healed from the cursed arrow. He almost didn't realize that he'd started at first, not until Asrior's body stilled.

Her face was still streaked with tears, but she was holding her breath, trying to listen. So he hummed louder and began brushing her hair back again, and he felt her body relax against his. She still wept, but the shaking slowly ended. Eventually, even the tears stopped.

Loki continued his humming, thinking that he should feel foolish for crooning at her so, but he did not. Instead he felt…pleased with himself, for she seemed comforted by his actions. It had been right to touch her. He thought that perhaps it soothed both of them.

"It was a horse."

Her voice was raw, and he looked at her with surprise, for he had not expected her to talk.

Asrior's cheek was pressed into him, and she stared to the side, licking her lips before speaking again. "Valtur made me ride a horse, after Kagoq left. We had visitors from another part of Svartalfheim. Someone he had plotted with before, and for some reason, he said I had to ride out with them. And the horse they gave me was…I was not a good enough rider for it."

Loki stopped humming as she spoke, but his hand continued moving, his fingers smoothing out her hair gently.

"It was a game to them, watching me struggling with the creature," she said, closing her eyes briefly. "And then… then it reared, and I could not control it. It bolted. I think someone hit at it with a whip to make it take off, but it was out of control, and we were on a hill, and its leg… its leg…"

She was shaking again, and he pressed her head against him. "It's all right if you don't want to talk. I'm…I'm sorry I…"

"No." She shook her head, her voice shaking as well. "In the dream, I remember the horse falling, and I fell with it. I was trapped under it, and I couldn't breathe. It was _horrible_, and I thought it would kill me, and then Valtur…"

Her body stilled and she closed her eyes tightly. "He was furious. He used his whip on the horse, the cursed one, and the horse was screaming. And he used the knife that he cut Kagoq's tongue out with and he slit its throat."

"Asrior…" His own voice was rougher. "You do not have to continue. I… I did not realize what this would be like for you."

"But you are right. I am tired of reliving this," she moaned, a hand moving to wipe furiously at her eyes. "The horse was dead, you see, and it was still on top of my leg, and Valtur told me that it was my fault. That my actions had killed it, and that he would make me pay for the loss of it. I thought…I thought he would kill me too, but he saw my leg and _laughed_ and… and he told me to move. I… I couldn't and so… he cut into it, and he kept cutting. I was... I was screaming and I wished the horse had crushed me. He said he'd cut it off."

Loki's eyes closed then, as though he could block out the horror of her words. "But… he did not. You have your leg."

"One of his men pulled him back. The lord who visited reminded him that I was of more use if I had use of it." She laughed bitterly. "He said it would be harder to arrange a marriage if I had only one leg to spread."

She sounded choked as she said it, and something black and foul twisted in Loki's gut—a piercing burn of hatred that he thought he'd long ago put behind him.

"Everyone was laughing, and I all I remember is how much the cut hurt and how much I wanted my mother." Tears were in her voice again. "That's all I could think about, even when they left and servants drug the horse from me and carried me to the fortress. I wanted to be with my mother again. I wanted to see her and to touch her, and I couldn't even cry for her."

Her lips were pressed together in an effort not to cry again, and Loki whispered, "You do not have to hold back anymore, Asrior."

She blinked and a tear fell, and she sounded desperate. "You will think that I am weak…"

Loki's hand touched her cheek, and then moved to her hair, stroking it back again. She looked exhausted; her eyes were swollen and heavy, and her face was pale. Her body grew heavier against his.

"You are not weak," he assured her, his voice soft despite its roughness, and his fingers brushed against her neck as he swept a heavy lock of it from her skin. "You are probably the strongest person that I have ever known."

The sound in her throat was disbelieving, but she did not argue, instead closing her eyes. "I am very tired."

When he shifted to get more comfortable, her back stiffened and her eyes opened, fear in them. "I do not want to be alone."

He was already settling her back against him, moving her so that her head was on his shoulder; stretching his legs out so that his booted feet crossed in front of him. "I'm not leaving. And you won't be alone again, ever, unless it is your wish, and even then, only if it is safe for you. You have my word. Do you understand?"

"Yes." She moved her hand so that it was pressed against his chest, and her eyes closed again. "I believe you."

* * *

Thanks for commenting on the last chapter! I really appreciate your reviews.

**Guest**-Thank you!

**Gracie**-Thank you for your review, and I like that you like the cats ;).

**HarryPotterFreakie**-I think that, eventually, Loki *might* sometimes allow himself to like a cat. Maybe. Thanks for reading and for the review!

**Mr-Stark-21**-Thank you for reviewing. I put waaaay too much thought into some of this, lol. But I wanted to use somewhat authentic names and found a lovely website with old Norse (and old names from Greenland, Iceland, Sweden and more) that included the name meaning, and it's hard to name someone who is going to end up a s***head 'beautiful', you know? So I ended up looking at the name meanings before choosing them. Hlin means 'protection'. And Loki hates admitting that he has a soft spot.

**Jax Jesilaux**-thank you! And thank you for your help. The funny thing about the jab at Lorelei was how unknowing it was, because it never crossed her mind that Loki would run off to court and hop into bed with someone else (even if she didn't exactly expect him to hop into bed with her after what happened). Just wait until she knows. It's not huuuuuuge drama, but it's…interesting I think.

**SissyPerigrin**-Thank you for the nice words! I hope you enjoyed Loki and Kagoq's little talk.

**Shelly**-Thanks for reviewing, and it is nice to hear that the pace is going ok. Kagoq made an appearance, just he won't see Asrior just yet. I think when he does it will be worth the wait. And, no, sign language was not at all what Loki thought about.

**Naked Potato**—I love your name. Thanks for your comments! It's not weird. I have a hard time myself liking Sif sometimes in this fic, but she's trained herself to be closed emotionally. Things won't be wholly rosy between the sisters later, especially if Sif gets a bit snarky about a certain God of Mischief.

**Candy Flaps**-LOL at the Asgard bike. She's not going to be thrilled, that's the truth. And Loki will eventually get rather fond of the cat. I won't talk about Valtur's comeuppance, but it's djal;d I hope it's interesting. Thanks for the review!

**London calling**-Thank you for reviewing! I really hope you liked this update, because, as you know now, Loki learned a lot this go around, especially about the nightmare.

**NoVacancyMind**-Hah, no it's not the book. They are trying very hard, and Kagoq this time, and a bit more about Hlin and books later. Thanks very much for letting me know you liked the chapter…I hope this one met expectations.

**Zippythewondersquirrel**-One of the things I wanted to do in this fic was show that as heroic as Asgardians can be, they're in no way perfect. They can have huge faults…like thinking their race is better than others, treating others badly at times, fighting amongst themselves, etc. Thor's trying. Sif is being cold to protect herself, and she's partially influenced by the culture around her. And I'm glad you liked the 'cow' comment, which was very deliberate on my part…don't think it Loki didn't notice it either.

**Amakitkat**-thanks for reviewing! All went well with Kagoq, and kissing? Huh. We'll see…

**MutiaRAWR**-Thank you for your kind words! I hope you liked this chapter :).


	19. Chapter 18-Sun and Starlight

A/N-Huge thanks goes out to you guys for reviewing and following and reading. Your comments are so encouraging, and you have no idea how appreciated they are, all of them. Thank you.

This chapter isn't entirely 'fluff', but it's a fun little aside where Asrior gets to have fun and get a massage and use Loki as target practice. ;) Not a ton of plot, but character development abounds.

And Tony... decides to go into big brother mode.

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!

And a huge thanks to Jax Jesilaux for taking time in the midst of finals and editing.

O/C is mine, the rest Marvel's.

**Chapter 18-Sun and Starlight**

Something changed after the night Asrior told Loki about her nightmare.

She wasn't aware of the shift at first, it was simply there. It was there when she woke up from sleep to find him placing her on the bed. He was pulling the bedcovers over her, moving as though to leave. She remembered that her eyes opened and her hand grasped at him almost frantically, but his voice had calmed her immediately.

"I asked Jarvis for a tea tray, and I need to get it. I didn't think you would want to go upstairs and sit with the others for breakfast this morning. Do you mind if I leave for a moment?"

Asrior shook her head, and though she thought she should feel foolish for her panic, she found that she did not. Perhaps it was because Loki was acting as though everything were normal.

"I'll be right back."

The sun had been high in the sky, filling the room with light, and she looked over at the chair he had carried her to the night before, wondering if he had held here there the entire time…wondering if he managed to sleep at all himself.

The change was there later, after he'd come back and poured her tea and given her a sweet roll, after she'd dressed for the day and assured her husband that she was ready to see the others. After she'd spent the morning with Tony and Bruce in the laboratory while Loki sat nearby, reading.

Bruce mentioned taking her back into the city after they broke for lunch, and almost immediately, she'd walked to where her husband sat.

When he looked up from his book, she explained, "Bruce would like to take a quick trip to their city's library. Steve will come with us…if you think it is safe for me to go."

For once, Loki did not mock her desire to see Midgard or her mortal friends. He had only asked, "Will you be afraid if you go out?"

"No."

"Go then. Just make sure Banner knows to contact me if things go amiss."

It was only later that Asrior understood.

Somehow, during that long night when she had revealed the darkest of her memories and when he'd so patiently and carefully attended to her, a different kind of bond had overtaken their guilt and anger. Loki seemed to finally understand that he was not the same as Valtur, and that he was allowed to show care for her despite his own sins. And despite those sins, she came to realize that he was still worthy of trust. Her old resentments faded.

The link was new and fragile, but it was there.

The change was was evident a day later, when Asrior and her husband spent the morning with Tony in his laboratory, practicing with the weapon the Midgardian designed for her protection.

Loki escorted her to the room, his books left behind for once, for he said he wanted to observe the weapon's effectiveness. And as Tony fit the repulsor bands around her wrists and taught her how to use them, the god began pacing, watching their actions closely

After she had gone through a series of practices, she stood and looked from the bands on her wrists to the mangled target on the other side of the laboratory.

"These are very powerful."

"Yes," Tony muttered, taking one of her wrists and bending over it to inspect the circle of metal around it. "I should add pulse bolts, too."

"Pulse bolts?"

Loki's question had the Midgardian looking over his shoulder to where the god stood nearby.

"Yes. Launched bolts that pick up kinetic energy as they travel. So the further they go, the harder they hit." He looked at Asrior. "The repulsor for closer contact, pulse bolts for long distance use."

He let go of her wrists, and she looked at the bands, chewing on her lips as she thought.

Loki began his pacing again, moving restlessly among the room's equipment, watching as Tony moved to his workbench and began punching on a keyboard.

After a few minutes, Tony asked, "Jarvis? If I modify the design like so…how long will it take to add pulse bolts to the fabrication?"

"Two hours fifteen minutes, sir. Though I'd suggest a more thorough modification of your design in order to prevent another Rogers incident."

Asrior looked over at her friend, hearing Loki scoff. "One of your inventions injured the soldier?"

"Steve's perfectly fine." Tony shot the god a glare and then turned back to his keyboard, muttering, "Now."

"But…" Asrior began, the question that had been nagging at her finally surfacing, "How will these weapons work against creatures from our realms? They are much stronger than mortals."

"I'm not sure," Tony admitted, pausing his typing to look up at her. "But they can buy you time."

"Time for what?" she asked.

"I don't' know. Time for your esteemed husband to arrive in a blaze of glory and rescue you." Tony was flipping through something on the raised screen in front of his bench.

Asrior flexed her wrists so that the circle that housed the repulsor slid up into her palm again. "I suppose these will work better than the throwing daggers."

She heard Loki's steps come to a stop before he spoke.

"What do you mean, throwing daggers?"

"Hlin was teaching me to use them," she told him, turning to look at him. He had stopped by one of the robotic arms that lined Tony's laboratory. "Before you…knew."

Loki looked at her for a moment before he turned to pace again. "You should continue to practice with those as well. I can help you, if you wish."

Asrior watched him as he moved. "In addition to Tony's weapons? Do you think I should?"

Tony made a rude sound under his breath before her husband could answer. When Loki threw him a nasty look, Asrior could not help but grin. When the god saw her smile, she shook her head and explained, "He is deliberately provoking you. You allow him to get under your skin too easily."

She thought that Loki might say something boorish in retribution for both Tony's prodding and her honest assessment of his reaction to it, but he stopped his pacing and asked instead, "Do you wish to test the repulsor on someone of our world?"

It was there again…the change. The shift. Whatever it could be called, it was burgeoning between them.

Asrior thought she must have taken too long to answer, though, for he frowned after a moment, and sounding like a testy child asked, "Well?"

"You will allow me to test Tony's weapon…on you?" she asked, trying not to smile. For Loki was standing there trying to look patient, offering his very body as a target for a hated mortal weapon because it would help her, and she suddenly realized the biggest difference. Asrior not only trusted his motives, but she could depend on him. The knowledge made her feel _secure_, and she did not know if she had ever felt that way before.

Her husband sniffed, sounding regal as he said, "How else can we be assured of its use on Asgard?"

Having heard stories of the damage to Stark Tower the last time Loki had been there, Asrior turned to Tony, wanting to gauge his reaction. The mortal was rubbing his chin, his eyes veiled as they contemplated her husband.

But he shrugged after a moment. "Look, if you're going to test it on him, do it over there." Tony pointed to a bare grey wall on the far side of the laboratory. "It's reinforced enough to handle the impact of his body." He looked back at his keyboard and muttered, "I hope."

Loki immediately walked to the spot, turning to look at her once he stopped. When he saw that Asrior had not moved, he arched a brow. "Are you afraid?"

"Of course I am not afraid," she said stoutly, finally moving toward him. He had taken off his heavy leather coat, she saw, but if anything, he looked even more dangerous without it. Her eyes trailed over the long, leanness of him, and she saw that despite his taunt at her, the look in his eyes was one of amusement.

He was enjoying goading her.

"Why do you hesitate?" he asked finally, and he put his arms at his sides, palms facing up. "Surely you have longed to put me in such a position."

"I am not hesitating," she said, giving him a haughty look as she tried to figure out how to best unnerve him in return. "I am simply savoring what I am about to do to you." She flicked her wrists in such a way that the repulsor powered on, and as the circle began to glow with light, Asrior looked at her husband, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. "You should not have volunteered for this."

Loki tutted. "I thought you did not believe in retribution."

"I do not," she said, her voice solemn. "This is justice."

Before he could say anything in return, she fired the repulsor beams at him. The impact surprised him, for his eyes widened as he flew into the air and back against the wall before crashing onto the floor. The ground seemed to shake at the force of it, but the wall remained intact.

Despite the fact that his body had been involved in a violent collision, Loki was rolling to his feet with the same gracefulness that Sazur possessed, a superior-looking smirk on his face.

"I'll admit," he began, "that took me by surprise, but as you can see…"

She fired again, watching as he was propelled backwards into the wall a second time.

He crashed onto the floor and once again rolled over to stand, sighing heavily, but before he could make it to his feet, Asrior fired a third time.

Loki hit the wall much lower and crashed down. He grimaced and put a hand to his head. Asrior looked over her shoulder at Tony, grinning smugly. "So now we know that I should fire the repulsor rapidly if I need to slow down a being of our realm. Perhaps I should fire one more time."

But when she turned back to Loki, he was gone.

Asrior's body tensed, and her eyes scanned the room for him.

"Loki?"

Tony must have heard the unease in her voice, for he pushed back from his desk and stood. "What is it?"

Her eyes narrowed as they continued to search, and she turned in a slow circle. Her skin was tingling, and the hairs on the back of her neck rose. He was close by, moving. Watching her.

"He's gone and turned himself invisible," she murmured, flicking her wrists so that the repulsors were once again arming.

"Hey…" Tony's voice rose in alarm. "Don't start firing those randomly…"

She paid little attention to him, though, for she could almost feel Loki. He was probably close enough to touch, she realized, as she began backing up slowly.

"He is sulking," she explained, her voice soft, and she turned her head, for she thought she heard something to the side of her. "My husband likes nothing more than to provoke me, but when like is given back to him, he displays a most childish temper…"

Hands clamped down hard on her arms, forcing them to her side, and she instinctively looked down. It felt odd, being able to feel him but not see him. So she shut her eyes as she struggled against his grasp.

"Let go, Loki," she grunted.

But he pulled her so that her back was pressed against his body, and she felt his breath against her hair, and then his mouth near her ear as he said, "I am not pouting. I simply seek to teach you a lesson, elf."

"What lesson," Asrior puffed, opening her eyes as she tried to pull away from him. When her efforts only caused his grip to tighten on her arms, she kicked backwards, making contact with his boot. "How to take offense at everything?"

He let her go so quickly that she almost fell forward. She managed to steady herself and turned, looking around again. When she moved her hands up to aim the repulsor, Tony's look of apprehension turned to panic.

"Asrior… Don't!"

But Loki was suddenly standing to the side of her, in the flesh, his pale green eyes mocking.

"For once, I agree with the mortal. Don't," he said with a tone of such arrogance that Asrior's hands actually itched. Then she saw that there was nothing between him and the grey wall, and before she could think, she turned to face him and was firing again.

Only…the beam passed harmlessly through his body, which seemed to shimmer as it did so. And Loki gave her a lazy smile before turning to watch the beam hit against the wall.

"But…" Asrior began, muddled, and she felt hands on her arms again. This time she could see them, and she looked up at the Loki that was holding her from behind, sputtering, "You… you are playing tricks."

"I am, indeed," he said grinning as he looked around, and she saw there was more of him. Images of the god were surrounding her, all of them wearing the same self-satisfied sneer.

"That's enough, Caligula," Tony said, sounding exasperated. "I don't need her destroying my lab trying to find out which one is the real you."

The Loki holding her sighed and loosened his hands, and the others disappeared as he said, "Very well."

Asrior jerked away from him and turned, her hair flipping around as she did so. Her hands were fisted, and her breathing was unsteady as she glared up at him. She felt unsettled, and she did not like it. "What was that?"

"I told you. A lesson."

She stepped closer, about to argue, but something in his silken voice stopped her. "Stark's kind of trickery might buy you time, but it is no match for my magic."

Loki looked down at her as though he had conquered her, and her skin felt funny again, which was odd, because he was not invisible now. He was standing right in front of her, so close that she had to tilt her head up to see his face. His hands were on his hips, his chin thrust out as though he dared her to challenge him.

Asrior wanted to defy him, but could not think what to say. She wanted to wipe the satisfaction out of his gleaming eyes, but found it hard to hold his gaze and still think. So her eyes fell to the corded column of his neck as she tried to muster thoughts or words; but she could only vaguely wonder why she had never realized how strong that particular expanse of skin looked and why she was so aware of it now.

Blinking, she shook her head and muttered, "But I will not be fighting you."

"No," he agreed, dipping his head a fraction. His voice turned from silk to velvet and seemed to wrap around her. "You will not be fighting me."

Asrior's head was still jumbled. She looked up at him, about to ask if he was still playing tricks when she saw that his eyes were darker than normal. They were almost overtaken by black, and she wondered why he chose that time to change their color. She did not understand why he was still using magic. Surely, he did something to her, for her body suddenly felt light and heavy at the same time, and she could not move…

"Hey, Keebler!"

Tony's voice jarred her from her stupor, and Asrior's head whipped around to look at him. She tried not to frown as she did so, but her cheeks felt hot, almost as though she had been caught doing something wayward.

"It's almost time to leave. I forgot to tell you, Pepper said we needed to be done here by noon, and Bruce should be back by then, too."

She wondered why Tony looked as he did, for his expression as he spoke was a mixture of feelings—understanding and amusement and even…nausea.

"Yes. Of course," she muttered, trying to sound normal. She glanced up at Loki, but her husband wasn't looking at her. He was glaring at the Midgardian with poorly concealed annoyance, and she touched his arm for a moment to draw his attention back to her. "They would like to take me to a menagerie."

Loki's eyes snapped down to hers, and she saw that they were green again. "Who? All of them?"

"Yes," Tony answered for her, moving from behind his desk and toward where they stood. "The Central Park Zoo. All of us, even Cap. And it will be empty except for us and the employees."

"You own it?" Asrior asked, surprised. "I knew that you held great power here, but I had read that…"

"No, I don't own it," he answered, looking almost embarrassed as he continued, "But…I can attract a lot of attention when I'm out, and I—we don't need that, right? So Pepper found a way to rent it for a few hours. We'll be alone…and fine."

Loki snorted under his breath before saying, "I just demonstrated that your tools are no match for even the simplest of magic. Her father is a powerful sorcerer. How can I trust you to protect her?"

Asrior felt her stomach drop. "You think that I should not go?"

"I am to stay in the tower," he said in answer, and when he saw her face, he sighed heavily. "What am I to do? I do not want to see you injured again, and if…"

"No one knows we are here," she tried to reason with him. "Surely the danger is minimal?"

Tony opened his mouth as though to quarrel as well, but Loki shot him a look and spoke instead, offering a compromise. "I can always cloak myself so that I cannot be seen and attend you that way."

"You mean…come with us and stay invisible?" Asrior remembered how odd she'd felt knowing that he was watching when she could not see. She shook her head, her voice firm. "No. Absolutely not. I do not think I would like that. I would rather stay here."

"Then I have no solution."

He sounded apologetic, and Asrior's stomach plummeted again.

Tony, however, put a hand on his chin. "Perhaps…I have one."

"What?" Asrior and Loki asked at the same time, though her voice was hopeful and his suspicious.

"A solution. The zoo will be empty except for us," Tony said, shrugging. "I don't see why Caligula here can't come along…so long as he looks like a typical tourist from Earth." His eyes flicked over Loki's leather clothing and his eyes lit with mischief. "No suits. You have to blend in. Dress…casually."

Loki's face darkened.

"You have to avoid the staff, too, so you won't be recognized. I'll talk to Pepper and see if she can give them some excuse to avoid us." The Midgardian turned to Asrior then and winked before moving toward the elevator. As though the decision were already made, he snapped his fingers and called out, "Let's get moving."

Instead of following him, Asrior looked up at her husband. "Thank you for trying to work something out. You are being very…"

"Do not tell me that I am being kind," he said, taking in a deep breath as he watched the other man push the buttons on the elevator. "I feel decidedly unkind right at this moment."

She shook her head. "No, I was going to say you are being very patient with Tony. I think the more you refuse to give in to his provocation, the less he will try."

His eyes flicked away from the mortal to look at her, and as he regarded her, his body seemed to relax. "You really wish to see their animals?"

"Yes," she said simply. "I really wish to see their animals."

He took another deep breath. "Very well. I will go, and I will do as he asked."

Asrior smiled at him. "Thank you."

As she looked up at him and saw the determination on his face, she wanted to do more than say mere words.

She wasn't sure what she could do, but after a second, she slowly reached out and put her hand over one of his. It was much larger than her own, so much so that her fingers could barely curl around it as she'd intended. And so she simply rested her hand there, struck not only by the size of it, but by its shape.

"We should go now, if we are to go to see your animals."

Loki's voice sounded as peculiar as her head was feeling lately, but he did not seek to move

"Oh," she said, looking over at the elevator, where Tony stood waiting. But like Loki, she did not move either. Instead, she turned her eyes to meet his gaze, and her hand shifted so that her fingers could wrap around his. "Thank you."

She was not talking about the menagerie.

Loki dipped his head, saying nothing, but Asrior knew that he understood what she meant.

….

Asrior looked over at where Loki stood, silently regarding the snow leopard.

"Stop staring at him," Tony muttered. "We don't want anyone to notice who he is."

She could not help looking around, a mockingly worried expression on her face. "Do you think the monkeys will get suspicious?"

He made a face. "You know what I mean."

"There is no one here but the six of us," she pointed out. "Since you felt the need to clear out the menagerie."

"Zoo," he said. "It's a zoo. And I cleared it out because you're not the only one who wanted to relax and play tourist today."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Look, I don't want to brag… OK, maybe I do. But I'm kind of a big deal here," Tony explained. "Not just for being Iron Man, but for my other work, and…and I tend to attract a lot of attention. It can make things like going to the zoo difficult."

"How so?"

"People stop me to talk. To thank me for my work. To complain about the destruction I've been a part of. To ask for my autograph…"

"Your what?"

"My signature. It's called an autograph."

"Why ever would someone want your signature?" Asrior asked, stupefied at Midgardian customs.

"To have a memento, something that says they met a famous person." He tilted his head. "How are the famous treated on Asgard?"

Asrior thought for a moment. "Well, Thor is perhaps the most revered of the gods, and many strive to meet him."

"But they don't ask for his autograph?"

"No." She shook her head, and an impish smile flitted across her face. "Though I understand that at one time, women attempted to do more than simply meet him. And quite a few were able to boast of their success."

She herself had been infatuated with the king when she was younger, but when she tried to recall his image, she saw Loki instead—his liquid green eyes and the razor sharp planes of his face as he leaned over one of his books, the lean strength of his hand as he cradled it. The vision surprised her, and to Asrior's horror, her face began to feel flushed. She wanted to put her hand over her cheeks to hide the color, but that would attract Tony's attention, and he would _know _what was in her head…

Only he would not know she had thought of her husband, for he could not read minds. And he wasn't even looking at her, for he had turned to look at where Pepper stood taking pictures. "Women once attempted the same with me. And quite a few were successful…but not anymore."

"As with Thor," she murmured, thinking of the queen and her extraordinary beauty. "His marriage seems to be very happy."

Tony tore his eyes away from the strawberry-blonde woman. "And yours is not."

Asrior lifted a shoulder. "It is better than it was."

"Since you were hurt, you mean? What exactly changed? I know Loki trusts you now. And he asked me, of all the people in the universe, to design something to protect you." He had turned to lean against a metal fencepost, and was looking at her speculatively. "He even let you use him for target practice this morning."

"Yes, he did," she answered, remembering earlier. "But I do not understand why it is of interest to you."

"Just…think of me as your Midgardian big brother."

"What are you saying?" she asked, her voice guarded.

Tony looked at Loki as he answered, "Just watch yourself. I don't—I don't trust him."

Asrior followed his gaze. Loki was still studying the large, white-colored feline as though memorizing its movements. He looked different, dressed as he was in Midgardian clothes. She'd almost gasped when it happened, for one moment he was in his long leather coat, the next, as they walked through a door to the waiting car, he was dressed very much as Steve was—wearing denim pants and a dark green shirt and short leather jacket.

"But I trust him," she murmured. He looked…nice, dressed as he was. Still very elegant and dangerous, but…

Beside her, Tony made a choking sound, and Asrior flipped her eyes to him. She saw that the look of nausea was back on his face, and her voice filled with concern as she asked, "You are not feeling well?"

"I'm fine," he said, and took of his sunglasses to glare at her accusingly. "You like him."

"What?" Shock filled her voice. "What do you mean, _like him_?"

"You keep looking at him," Tony hissed.

"I do not," she insisted, even as her face began to redden, for it was a lie. "I just… I mean, things are… they are different, and… and I… _I do not keep looking at him_."

Tony made a face and crossed his arms across his chest. "You think he's attractive."

Asrior drew herself back up so that she was standing very straight, and despite her sudden urge to look at Loki, she stared in the opposite direction. She had not thought of him in that way since she had learned of his tricks leading to their marriage. The very thought was…

"Whether or not he is pleasant to look upon is…is none of your concern," she muttered stiffly. "This is a ridiculous conversation."

"It's ok to admit it," the man beside her said, though his tone suggested just the opposite. And after a moment, he grunted, "I'll bet you think he's cute_._"

Asrior opened her mouth to deny it when Steve's voice floated from behind her.

"Who's cute?"

"The monkeys," Asrior answered quickly.

But Tony spoke at the same time, saying, "The reptile."

Steve looked from one to the other, clearly confused, and Asrior saw that he was holding Midgardian food in each hand.

Hoping to distract him, she asked, "What is that?"

His eyes lit up, and he held a hand out to her. "An ice cream cone. Have you ever had one before?"

"No," she said, taking it warily. "It is…good?"

"It's a dessert," Steve explained, as Bruce was walking up behind him, holding two cones as well.

Asrior took a tentative bite, gasping at the icy feel against her teeth. But it was delicious.

Pepper noticed what they were doing and dashed over, asking for one of the cones; and soon the group was walking along the path that led to the polar bears. As they passed the snow lion enclosure, Loki fell into step beside Asrior, and she could feel his eyes on her as they moved.

"What is it?" she asked, looking up from her cone briefly.

His green eyes moved from her face to her hand. "What is that?"

"It's called ice cream," she explained, sliding her tongue along the edge of the dessert. Her eyes were fixed determinedly ahead, for Tony was walking behind them. "Why? Would you like to try one?"

"No."

He didn't say anything else, and Asrior kept her eyes in front of her, wondering if she looked silly staring at nothing. It was frustrating, for it seemed as though trying not to look at him made it that much more tempting to do so.

She almost jumped when she felt the brush of his fingers near the corner of her mouth, and her head swirled to look at him, her eyes wide.

"What…"

"Ice cream," he explained, staring down at her with an expression she could not read. "Your face was dirty."

"Oh…" Asrior lifted her arm and rubbed at her mouth, embarrassed. Her hair fell into her face as she did so, and she pushed it back with an impatient grimace. "Thank you."

Loki simply looked at her, and though Asrior knew she should not look back for fear of what Tony would say, she found it difficult to tear her eyes away. But after a moment, the god turned to look at something they walked past, and then slid away, as though to inspect it further, while Asrior suddenly remembered a question she had for Steve.

Catching up with the soldier, she put a hand on his arm. "Was it like this…the zoo, when you were here before?"

They were stopped at the polar bear exhibit, and Pepper pulled her camera out again, gushing over the enormous creature in the enclosure. The lot of them stood along the glass wall, looking down as the white bear lumbered along the rocks in his habitat and slid gracefully into the water.

Steve's smile was melancholy. "I remember when they built the sea lion pool," he said, sounding wistful. "It was before the war. Before...I became me. "

"Were there polar bears?" she asked, her voice quiet.

"No…no. There were buildings around the sea lion pool. It's different now. Better…for the animals at least." At Asrior's quizzical look, he explained, "The animals were in cages then, smaller ones. They need more space. We understand that now."

Pepper moved to stand on the other side of Asrior, but she did not raise her camera. Instead, she pushed her sunglasses onto the top of her head and said, "I cannot tell you the last time I went to a zoo. This is…"

"Swell," Steve was smiling, the hint of sadness gone. "This is really, really swell."

Asrior smiled, feeling pleased, and Pepper, giving Steve a fond look, agreed. "Swell it is."

They wandered toward the penguins and puffins next, eventually finding themselves in the part of the zoo intended for children. They were allowed to touch the area's rabbits and ducks and farm animals. Asrior did not know who enjoyed that portion more—Bruce or Tony, both of whom tried very hard to pretend they were merely indulging her as they fed and petted the animals.

For her part, Asrior tried very hard not to look at Loki too much. He stayed to the back of the group for the most part, a tall and silent sentry watching over them; but she could not help but notice that the few times she _did _find herself glancing at the god, his eyes were usually on her.

The fact made her feel warm, and she thought that he was taking his vow to protect her very seriously indeed. She felt safe.

When they invaded the zoo's gift shop as they waited for their cars to arrive, Loki watched patiently as Asrior choose more gifts for her friends at Okershall.

Pepper, who was looking at a set of mugs, said, "Shopping. I have to take you shopping."

"But…we are shopping now," Asrior said, confused.

"No. Girl shopping," Pepper explained. "Clothes. Jewelry. Shoes. Girl shopping."

"That sounds nice, but I am not sure how much time we have left before we leave." Asrior was trying not to look at the other woman with an envious expression, for Pepper Potts was as beautiful and confident as the ladies that graced Asgard's court. It felt nice to have her friendship. I would be nice to spend more time with her, for perhaps her admirable traits could somehow be shared.

"We'll be done in, two days?" Tony looked at Bruce for confirmation. "We're planning something big for your last night, but I think you can squeeze in shopping tomorrow."

"And the spa day the next?" Pepper asked hopefully.

Tony gave the elderly woman behind the store's counter a quick look, but she was reading a book, ignoring the group in the store.

"Sure," he said. "A spa day the next."

Loki had moved closer to hear their hushed conversation, and his brows drew together. "What are you planning? You know that Asrior cannot go out into the open without…"

Before he could say more, Tony held up his hand. "The bottom two floors of Stark Tower have shops in them. And a spa. Pepper insisted on having easy access to certain assets when we designed the building. Asrior will be in the tower the entire time."

Loki's face relaxed a little, but something struck Asrior.

"What is a spa day?"

"Oh!" Pepper looked surprised. "I keep forgetting you're not from here. A spa day… Well, it's a place where women go to…to get pampered, I suppose…"

"Pampered?" Asrior asked slowly.

Steve, who had moved closer to inspect the mugs, piped up, "The spa in Stark Tower? If you get a deep tissue massage, ask for Jan."

Tony's brows shot up as he stared at the soldier, but Pepper shook her head a little, and explained, "A spa is where you go to relax and let other people treat you to…things. Like Steve said, they offer massage therapy. You can get your hair fixed, and your nails done, and facials." When Asrior looked confused again, she explained, "Good things they put on your skin to make it feel better. They can wax, and there's a steam room and mineral baths. You can get an entire body wrap…"

Though many of the words were meaningless, Asrior was slowly beginning to realize that a spa day involved getting at least partially undressed. As much as she wanted others to know what Valtur had done to her, she did not want a stranger reacting with shock and horror when they saw her back.

She automatically turned to Loki, trying not to look too distressed for fear of offending the Midgardians.  
"I am not sure that is something I can do."

Her husband seemed to understand, for he turned to Tony, and with a low voice, said, "Her ears. And…the… And more.

But it was Pepper who answered, and though she looked curious at the 'more' part, her voice was reassuring when she spoke directly to Asrior. "Only the most discrete employees are ever allowed to assist me when I visit the spa. It's one of those necessary things that come with being with Tony. I will not allow anyone near you that will say or do anything because you are different in any way. And if you feel uncomfortable with any of it, just tell me."

Her words calmed Asrior's worries enough for her to smile. "Then it sounds lovely. Your spa actually sounds much like the healing rooms in Asgard."

"Minus the facials," Loki mocked. But despite his sarcasm, the eyes he turned to Asrior were concerned. He even put a hand on her shoulder as he asked, "You are sure?"

She smiled at him, for the feel of his hand against her tunic was reassuring.

Tony, she saw, looked sick again.

….

Two days later, Loki stood in front of the Stark's giant glass windows that overlooked Manhattan. Years ago, he'd paced throughout this very room, watching as the Chitarui battled the Midgardians, intent on conquering the wretched realm. If someone had told him back then how different circumstances would be when he returned, he'd have called them a fool.

It was hard enough to believe that he was back in the wretched realm willingly playing nursemaid to an enemy's daughter, but the fact that he was enjoying himself…

But he wasn't, not really. He loathed being in Stark's presence. The monster, thankfully, was busy with a new project for S.H.I.E.L.D. and had been away for hours at a time, and the soldier was only around to offer Asrior additional protection when they left the tower.

What he had enjoyed was watching his wife as she soaked up the novel experience of being in a new realm. Each new experience, each new flavor and sight, seemed to bring out more of the sun she had within her.

Her face glowed the first time she saw the sea lions at the zoo, and her eyes were indescribable when Rogers bought her an enormous chunk of something he called 'cheesecake'. When she returned from the Midgardian library, she'd been almost dancing with excitement. The night before, when Asrior returned from her afternoon of shopping, she'd looked happier than he'd ever seen her.

He'd asked if she wanted to show him her purchases, but she'd waved him off. She wanted to talk about the Potts woman instead, and it struck him how little she had been around other females for most of her life and how much she seemed to crave such company.

Loki did not like Pepper Potts, or any of the Midgardians, but he found it hard to fault them for their treatment of Asrior. For all that they were weak and worthless creatures, they were showering her with attention, giving her gifts and offering their company, and yet they had no idea what it meant to her, or how much she deserved such consideration.

They were, as his wife said, kind…and he could appreciate that even if he still loathed the lot of them.

The bell above the elevator dinged, bringing him back to the present. Loki watched as the doors slid open, and as Asrior and Pepper Potts came into the room.

His wife crossed the room when she saw him, and he saw that she was glowing again.

"You…found the experience enjoyable?" he asked when she neared, watching her face carefully.

Asrior smiled widely. "It was…wonderful."

Pepper had walked with her, and Loki noticed that her eyes were slightly puffy. Her smile was tremulous as she looked at the redheaded woman next to her. "Yes. It was."

She looked as though she wanted to throw her arms around Asrior, but Stark's voice drew her attention.

"You're back! I see everyone survived." He crossed from the kitchen, where he'd been looking for food, moving to stand by his girlfriend's side. "You look…"

His eyes narrowed as he stared at her eyes, but the woman shook her head. "I look fine. Asrior had a wonderful afternoon."

"You did? Good?" Stark said, but his eyes were on Potts and filled with concern.

"You can try to tell him," Asrior said then, her voice soft. "But it won't work."

"This is just so…" the Potts woman began, sounding bemused. She looked at Stark, taking a deep breath before saying, "You see, we shared a dressing room… Well, we did everything together. To be discrete. And the massage… I saw he… She h… Her fath…"

Her groan of frustration was familiar.

Stark's face was filled with confusion. "That…must have been some massage."

The blonde actually sniffed back tears. "You have no idea."

Asrior was smiling gently at her, and said, "We had a glorious afternoon. If felt… It was like having my sister with me. At least, what I thought it would feel like."

The other woman hastily wiped at her eyes. "I'm really glad to hear that."

"And now, I am going to go down to my room and get dressed for this evening," Asrior announced, looking at Loki. "Pepper is going to get ready with me. I hope you will be fine staying up here until we are done."

"Do not worry about me," Loki assured her. "I can always hide in Stark's library."

She smiled at him again and moved to the elevator, the other woman at her heels.

When the metal doors of the device slid closed behind them, Stark blew out a long, heated breath, muttering, "Women." He looked at Loki. "Did you understand any of that?"

"Of course." Loki looked at the mortal as though he were a simpleton. "You did not?"

Stark scowled. "Freak."

Loki did as he told Asrior and hid in the library, reading through a history of Midgardian art as he waited. Time seemed to drag endlessly despite the array of books, and the sun was close to setting when he finally heard voices in the main room.

He slid toward the door then, stepping outside, and then stopping at the sight before him.

Asrior stood a few feet away, gazing out the window at the city. She wore an iridescent dress that shimmered with shades of blue and lavender and pink, and the hair that fell in waves down her back matched the setting sun. It was as though she was a living, breathing part of blazing colors that painted the sky before her.

After a moment, Loki began moving toward her, and he noticed that Stark and the Potts woman were on the other side of the room, each of them on a phone, while the soldier was at the bar, pouring a beer and fiddling with his necktie at the same time.

As he approached the window, his wife turned to look at him, and Loki's throat went dry.

Asrior's dress looked as though it was made of gossamer, with a neckline that exposed her shoulders, drawing attention to the flawless curve of her collarbone and neck. The rest of it draped over her in a way that drew almost too much attention to the delicate curves of her body.

He had known that she was small and graceful, but had not fully realized how perfectly small and graceful she was until that moment. He could see every arc and dip, every flowing line of her figure; and he knew then that the tormenting dreams that so frustrated him would get worse.

Loki just stared at her, trying to find words, but Asrior spoke for him.

"This reminded me of Asgard," she said, smoothing her hands over the fairy-wing material that encased her gently rounded hips. Loki closed his eyes briefly as she continued, "It is similar to the gowns at court, though less…provocative than many."

She had no idea how wrong she was, Loki thought with grim humor, and he opened his mouth, again trying to find words.

"It is lovely," he finally managed, and coughed, for his voice was gruff. "You look…"

He wanted to tell her that she was beautiful, but for some reason, his tongue was stuck. It was as though her father's damned curse held him in his grip, and he frowned, for he thought she must think him a lack wit.

Asrior had noticed his own clothing, and her eyes widened as she took in his suit. "You do not look of Asgard at all. You are very refined."

His tongue loosened then, and as he noticed that her head was now above his shoulder. "You have grown taller."

Her blue eyes widened. "I am wearing shoes with a ridiculous set of high heels." She put a hand on his arm and leaned closer to him, whispering, "I made Pepper leave and have been practicing walking in them for an hour. I know that a broken ankle would heal quickly, but it would be a bit inconvenient after the trouble she and Tony have gone through for tonight."

Loki was very much aware of the feel of her hand through his suit jacket, and even more aware that when she leaned as she did, the neckline of her gown gaped slightly, giving him an even better view of the top of her breasts than he'd had before.

"Would it?" he asked, not knowing how to process the persistent feelings of sexual awareness that flooded him lately when Asrior was near.

But he knew he did not want Tony Stark slapping him on the back and saying, _"How goes it, Reindeer Games?"_

Unfortunately, the Midgardian was there, standing between them so that Asrior's hand drifted away from Loki's arm. The soldier was there as well, on Asrior's other side, looking at her with admiration. He took her hand in the manner of Asgardians and bent over it, saying, "You look stunning. Just…swell."

Banner was walking from the elevator then, announcing that the cars had arrived, and as everyone turned to the elevator, the soldier almost sprinted toward him, saying, "I call shotgun this time!"

Loki sighed and waited for Asrior to begin walking before following her. She moved a little slowly, unaccustomed to the height of the shoe's heels, but soon enough was nearing other female Midgardian.

"This is for tonight," the Potts woman was saying, holding a long blue coat open. "It should fit."

As Asrior thanked her, she automatically pushed her long hair over one shoulder so she could put on the coat without it getting caught under it. Her hair had flowed down her back and over her bare shoulders, covering much of it, but her movement as she turned to put on the coat exposed the top of her back. For a moment, the few inches of the angry, puckered scars that began at one shoulder and slid below the dress was visible.

The coat was over her in a second, and her hair had back in place down her back, and the two women moved toward the elevator.

Loki watched Stark, though, wondering if his own face had been as white and stunned as the Midgardian's the first time he'd laid eyes on her injuries.

Stark drew in a deep, vicious breath and said two words. "Her father."

"That's what Miss Potts was trying to tell you today," Loki explained. "Only…you can't tell anyone who doesn't know. You have to see the scars to talk about them."

"How bad is it? Pepper looked like she was crying all afternoon."

"The scars… they are not so bad compared to what he could have done, as horrific as that sounds. They are an after affect. The magic that he used, that was much worse. It is quite painful. Valtur likes torture, you see." He glanced at the other man, whose face had gone even whiter. "He cursed her and the dwarf when she was a child, which was worse, for she could not tell anyone what was happening. Even when she was in Asgard. Thor still does not know."

Throwing his head back, Stark took a long drink from the glass he was holding. "You didn't know. When you married her."

"No," Loki admitted. "I did not."

"But you do now."

The god inclined his head. "Which is why my main concern now is her protection. I am not one to disavow my own sins, for they are many. But I find that I cannot willingly send an innocent person back to someone who so harmed them."

Stark was staring at him, and after a moment, he asked, "You're going after him, Valtur?"

"Of course."

The mortal took another drink. "When you go get him, let me know. I'm in. Not just my weapons. Me...in the suit. I'm in."

"I thought you had retired," Loki said, unable to keep the surprise from his voice.

Stark shrugged and began moving to the elevator, his face grim. "I sometimes make exceptions for my friends."

Later that night, Loki wondered if it was the revelation of Asrior's injuries that drove Stark's mood, for the Midgardian was determined to stay by her side all evening.

He sat beside her in the car as they drove away from the tower, forcing Loki to sit opposite them, beside the chattering Potts woman.

He held her hand as they walked onto the ship that he had hired for the night, and sat next to her during the sumptuous supper he'd hired some mortal chef to prepare. When they'd walked onto the ship's deck to look at the city from the vantage point of the river, Stark had glued himself to Asrior's side, pointing out landmarks as they slid past through the water.

He'd even refrained from his sarcasm, not even bothering to mock the soldier when he let out a low whistle and, "Hi de ho!" when they arrived at the top of the Empire State Building—empty save for their group, for it seemed that Stark's money and influence could buy almost anything.

Stark's female seemed to be charmed by his behavior rather than offended, for she watched him with misty-looking eyes all evening. Only Banner complained, when they arrived back at the tower and began to play the card game they'd taught Asrior at Okershall.

"You've monopolized her all night," the monster groused, pulling his tie loose. "And you won't help her when she needs it."

"She's my good luck charm tonight," Stark said, pulling her chair closer to his. "And I'll help her."

The lot of them were around the penthouse's long dining table, even the mortal female, who took off her heels and pulled the skirt of her sparking white gown over her knees as she made herself comfortable. "Just shut up and deal."

Loki sat to the side, dividing his time between gazing out the windows and watching the card game. At some point, Stark handed out cigars he called "Cubans" and then asked Jarvis to turn on a high powered ventilation system. Bottles of liquor were opened, including a bubbly drink called champagne that Asrior seemed to favor.

Eventually, the even piles of shiny, colorful coins the Midgardians called chips changed. Everyone started with the same amount, but after a while, Stark's pile grew low, and the soldier's climbed impossibly high.

"Read 'em and weep," Rogers was saying, holding the cigar between his teeth as he spoke. He raised his hands and locked them behind his head. "Maybe you should take a powder, Stark."

Stark's eyes narrowed, and he gave Asrior a resentful look. "You were supposed to be luck."

"Maybe it will change if I drop out," she said, pushing her chips toward the mortal. "You take mine. I want some fresh air."

"Hey!" The soldier dropped his hands and yanked the cigar from his mouth. "You can't do that!" He turned to the Potts woman, who sat beside him. "She can't do that!"

"Apparently, she can," the woman said, sticking her own cigar between her teeth and grinning. "Deal, Banner."

Stark's competitive fire seemed to distract him from his goal of keeping Asrior by his side, for he did not look up when she slid away from the table and moved toward the door that led to the roof.

When she slipped through it, Loki stood, slowly following her, one eye on the raucous game at the table. No one was paying any attention to them.

When he found her, she was standing on the middle of the rooftop decking, looking up instead of at the city around them. She must have heard him coming, for she did not seem surprised when he spoke.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to see the stars," she said, not looking at him. "I have studied the constellations of Midgard and hoped to see them while I was here."

"There is too much light," he explained, looking down at her. The expanse of skin exposed by the neckline of her gown was more pronounced with her head held up, and her neck seemed impossibly slender and graceful. Her hair fell further down her back, too, and it was bright despite the dim light that surrounded them.

"There's too much mist, too," she murmured, pointing to where thin, dark clouds drifted above them. "See?"

He stepped closer to her. "Yes, I see."

A strong breeze was blowing, pushing the light material of her gown against her frame. And as he watched the fluttering of the shimmery gossamer, Loki saw that tiny bumps had appeared on her chest.

"You're cold."

"I'm fine." She moved her head to look at him, and a strand of hair that had lingered on her bare shoulder fell. "Really."

But he was taking off his suit jacket and shoving it over her shoulders, and whether he did it to touch her or hide the sight of her skin, he did not know. He only knew he wanted to see her glow again, and she looked almost melancholy standing alone as he had found her.

"Oh…" Her hands moved to the lapels of the jacket automatically. "But you will be cold."

"Asrior, I am a frost giant," he reminded her, and his eyes were sardonic as he looked down at hers. "I do not get cold."

The corner of her mouth tilted up, and she stared at him. "Perhaps I should go in. I do not…"

Her voice stopped as she realized that the light around them was getting darker, and she tore her eyes from his and looked around. "What… what is happening?"

Loki lifted a shoulder and tried not to smile at the look on her face. He looked around as well, watching as the mist above them lowered and thickened so that the light of the city surrounding the tower was completely obscured.

"It looks as though the fog has settled below us." His voice was matter of fact. "And it has turned very, very thick."

Asrior's eyes were wide as she stared up at him. "You are doing this!"

"Doing what?"

"Playing tricks again!" She looked torn between amusement and anger.

Sighing with mock frustration, Loki put a hand on her shoulder and another on the back of her head and turned her, gently, so that she was looking up again. "Quit arguing and look at your stars."

"I'm not argu…" she began, and then her breath caught in her throat when she looked upon the blanket of shining lights that seemed to stretch forever. "Oh…"

"Yes. Oh."

He wondered if she realized that the back of her head had tipped back so far that it rested against his chest, but Loki was very aware of the feel of it.

But her eyes were wide with wonder, and her body seemed to shimmer with pent up excitement.

"Look. There's Andromeda," she said pointing, her voice hushed with awe at the sight. "And Cassiopeia."

Loki just watched her as she gazed skywards, pointing out the star formations. She looked as she had when she'd taught the golden reedling to sing, only instead of channeling the sun, she seemed made up of starlight. Everything about her shimmered and sparkled and was breathtakingly lovely.

He wanted to keep her as she looked just then—filled with wonder and glory—wanted to freeze time so that he could hold on the moment forever. And he knew that he could not blame this mad desire on his response to her body, for he had effectively covered her up. It was not just what she looked like. It was something within her. Something that lived and burned despite the scars her father covered her with.

Loki had seldom been around such beauty, and it pulled at him so strongly that he was not sure what to do.

"It's…it's glorious," she whispered, tearing her eyes away from above. She turned slightly, so that her head moved away from his chest, but she put her hand where it had rested. "You are…an incredible sorcerer indeed," she whispered, and her hand flexed against the material of his shirt.

"I…" he began, grasping for words. He felt ridiculous, as though he were a school boy being quizzed by a teacher. "Did you see Pisces? Torcularis Septentrionalis is especially bright tonight."

"It was." Her face was solemn as she gazed into his eyes. "Thank you. I will never forget this."

He stared at her, not knowing what to say. He tried to smile, tried to tell her that he was happy he could give her such a gift. He had the most ridiculous inclination to tell her how she looked like starlight. But the words stuck in his throat, and all he could do was swallow and watch as the breeze pushed strands of her hair over her face.

His own hair was blowing over his eyes, and he pushed it back impatiently, about to sputter something out, no matter how inane, when Asrior's mouth opened and she said, "Oh…" and pulled the hand from his chest and put it over her mouth.

"What?" he asked, fidgeting with his hair, feeling unaccountably self-conscious over his ridiculous lack of oratorical skills that night.

"Nothing, I just…" she lowered her hand and turned her gaze to her feet, mumbling, "I just realized that Tony was right."

"Tony?" he asked, his voice rising. "What does he…"

And then the Midgardian's voice broke over them and lights lit up around them.

"What," Stark said, his hands still on the light panel outside the penthouse door, "are you doing, Loki Laufeyson?"

He began to march over to them, his drink sloshing over the side of the glass in his rush. "I cannot believe you," he breathed, looking around at the mist swirling below the tower and covering the city. "I…I… Everyone will know… Damn it, S.H.I.E.L.D. will know…"

Loki sighed, sounding imperious again when he said, "The mortals below can still see the sky. The mist covers their light, not that from above. I am neither as stupid or as weak a sorcerer as you think."

And he waved an impatient hand, clearing the swirling mist.

Stark was glaring at Asrior, looking at the coat that engulfed her shoulders with distaste. "I told you to be careful."

She was staring mulishly at him, her face bright pink, and the sight of her glaring at someone other than him made Loki's heart lighter.

"You talk too much," she grumbled, pulling the jacket tighter around her. "I'm going to bed."

As she stalked toward the door, Stark rubbed his eyes. "I do not understand women. Why is she angry with me? Do you understand what just happened?"

Loki's lips curled as he lied, "Perfectly."

But as he followed his wife to their chambers he was only aware that something had shifted between them. Something he could not put his finger on, but it was there, and it would not go away.

Regardless of whatever truce they had reached in the aftermath of her nightmare, the next few weeks would be treacherous indeed.

* * *

A little late, but comments follow. I'm sorry about the delay, but work was busy this week (beyond busy). I really do appreciate your reviews, though, so very much!

**Reindeergames19**-Thank you so much for reviewing. I love hearing from new readers, and I am thrilled that you like both my OC and my portrayal of Loki. I try to keep the updates coming at a consistent pace, and here's crossing fingers/knocking on wood that my schedule cooperates!

**Zippythewondersquirrel**-First, I'm so sorry that you are dealing with a death in your family. Big hugs to you and my deepest sympathy. Second, thanks for reading and reviewing despite all of that. It's really humbling that you took the time to read when you're going through something so difficult. Thank you, from the deepest part of my heart, and I hope that you are doing well.

**Candy Flaps**-I had to LOL at your torturous plans for Valtur. He…will not find peace and happiness at the end. I hope you like what I have in store for him—justice, not vengeance ;). I'm glad you liked the feels. Loki's tender side is nice, yes? Thanks for reviewing!

**Shelly**-Poor Loki is in many ways as lonely as Asrior. And Hlin and his Hello Kitty gear? I had to cut that scene (too much fluff, no plot) because of length, but he thought it was a hoot—he realized it was girlie but so did Asrior, who bought it as a bit of a joke (she got him a pocket knife too). Sadly, that ended up on the cutting room floor. But I'm glad you picked up on the original bit where she bought it. And I'm glad you liked ComfortLoki. He'll…eventually get around to that pleasure part ;). And thanks for reviewing!

**sweets1111**-Thank you! Very much.

**Bubblettrocks**-Thank you very much for reviewing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the following :)

**Fat Old Sun**-I really liked the scene between Kagoq and Loki. Both of them love Asrior (though only one is aware of it at that point), but it makes their conversation about her so very sweet. And I think Loki took your advice on the grabbing and kissing part ;) Thanks for your nice words, and thanks for reviewing!

**SissyPerigrin**-Kagoq IS awesome! you'll find that Asrior is waking up to certain sentiments, and even Loki might *eventually* kind of admit that he has as well. Thanks for your kind words, and thanks so much for reviewing!

**jnotjane**-Thanks for waiting! I know it's a slow burn, but you'll find it getting a bit brighter ;). I hope you like the next chapter, when Loki gets to leave the tower. I appreciate your review so very much. I really hope you enjoy what's ahead.

**Mr-Stark-21**-Tears? Yay! Seriously, I love hearing that ;). Thank you so much for reading and so much for letting me know that you liked it. I am especially glad that you like the pace of the story. It's slow going at times, but I really really really hope that in the end the build up will make it all the more worth it (and romantic…as romantic as Loki Laufeyson can be) in the end.

**kateskates24**-Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like what's ahead!

**Le Fem de Love**-Thank you, deeply, for your words about the character development. Sometimes I think I'm going overboard with details or moving too slow, so it's really wonderful to hear from someone who likes how things are developing in the story. I appreciate your words more than you know, and thank you for reviewing. I hope you continue to enjoy the story, especially the next few chapters ;).

**London calling**-THANK YOU! Your words mean a lot. Here's to what's next, and I hope you enjoy it!

**Amakitkat**-Thanks very much for the review! Kissing will come soon ;). I hope you like what's next!

**Crede Biron**-I sincerely hope your seriously depressing stuff had been dealt with or at least is getting better. And I am beyond happy that my little story could help distract you, if only for a bit. Thanks for your kind words, especially about Kagoq, who I *adore* beyond reasonable considering that he is a figment of my imagination. I hope things are better. And I hope you enjoy what's up next.

**Sidlewild**-The feels, indeed! Thanks for your comments, and thanks for the words bout not forgetting what Loki did. He is almost through the woods on that, but not totally, not yet. I love Loki…love him…but his past deeds cannot be brushed under the rug. But he still deserves some happiness ;)

**HarryPotterFreakie**-Thanks so much for the nice review! Schwarma is wonderful! I am fortunate enough to live in a place near a fantastic schwarma joint (my college BFF and I practically lived there), which was one reason that part of _The Avengers_ owns my heart. I hope you like the next update!

**NoVacancyMind**-Thank you so much for waiting so patiently, and for reviewing! I'm glad you liked the feels. I'm really happy you liked Kago1 and Loki's kindness ;). The kissing part comes soon enough! I hpe you like it, ehhehehe.

**MutiaRAWR**-Did you really cry? YES! LOL, seriously, it's the very best of compliments. I'm glad you liked it. I really hope you like what's next. Thanks for reviewing!


	20. Chapter 19-Heartfelt attentions

A/N-Thanks to everyone-readers, followers, you wonderful people who review-all of you. I love writing, but knowing that someone likes reading this is beyond words.

I wanted to update earlier this week, but a few things happened. 1) The chapter was easy to write but kept going on and on and on because Asrior and Loki were misbehaving. So I had to edit a lot. 2) I have a wonderful Beta reader now, which means there is usually a delay between my finishing and posting...but that just makes the story better, it really does. 3) Work at this time of year is insane, but will get better in a week or so, SO hopefully updates will be quicker.

I'm adding comments at the end of this update and the last chapter soon (work was just ugh, so I didn't have time earlier this week). Seriously, thanks for the feedback.

Erm. I hope you enjoy this. Despite my chopping huge chunks out even before it went to Beta, this is long. But, um, worth the ending?

:D

O/Cs are mine, all else Marvel's.

* * *

**Chapter 19-Heartfelt attentions**

The first thing Asrior was aware of as she woke was the soft thumps coming from the study next to her bedroom. She rolled toward the sound instinctively, wondering what Loki was doing—but she remembered almost immediately that they were leaving that morning. He would be packing his books, ready to leave the realm he so hated.

She sat up and scooted from the bed, pulling on the flowered silk robe she'd purchased on her shopping trip with Pepper. Almost as soon as she'd finished knotting the belt around her waist, the sounds stopped, and seconds later, the door from the study opened slowly.

Loki began to walk into the room, moving as though he was trying to be quiet, though he stopped when he saw her standing beside the bed.

"You're awake."

Asrior stared dumbly at him as he spoke, acutely aware of the fact that her hair probably looked like a bird's nest. Her hands itched to smooth it out, but she forced them to stay at her side. He'd seen her in this state, and worse, plenty of times. It was ridiculous worry about her appearance now.

"Yes."

Her voice was still raspy with sleep, and Asrior scowled. Just because she'd realized that Tony was right, that she found her husband attractive, was no reason to suddenly feel self-conscious. And just because the god in question was standing there looking so… so pleasing in his usual Asgardian clothing, she didn't need to act as though she were addled.

She tore her eyes from him, for she was staring again. "Yes," she said again, coughing a little, trying to clear her still-rough voice. "I just woke up."

"Should I get a tea tray?" Loki moved toward the room's giant window and looked out at the city, standing with his hands clasped behind his back. "Or… you'll want to go upstairs to see the others, won't you?"

Unable to help herself once he was looking away from her, Asrior began to hurriedly smooth down her hair. "Yes, I want to see them." Loki began to turn around, and she quickly pulled her hands down, trying to look composed. "I would like to say goodbye."

He gave a quick nod, and his eyes slid over the multi-colored silk encasing her body, coming to a stop where her feet peeped out below the robe's matching gown.

"That's new," he said, and she did not know if he meant her attire or the peach-color encasing her toenails.

Women at court had painted their nails such, as well as their faces. When she was a child, Birgitta had allowed Asrior to wear her gold chain and had colored her lips and eyes with her creams and powders. Her mother would put flowers in her hair and drape a fine silver wrap around her small body as though it were a gown, telling her that when she was older, she would dress as such and be presented to the king.

But by the time Asrior was finally in the throne room of Asgard, she'd worn dark armor; there had been no jewels, for Valtur insisted her only andornment be her elven ears. If she felt any longing for the feminine frills of her childhood, she kept it hidden deep in her mind where her father could not find it.

When Pepper had arranged to have their nails painted during their trip to the spa, Asrior was flooded with memories. As she sat next to her friend, talking while the manicurists buffed and polished, she recounted those days with Birgitta. And when she left the spa, she held a bag stuffed full of nail polish every color of the rainbow.

"You seem…pleased," Loki was saying, and he was looking at her face again.

Asrior had to fight not to smooth her hair down again. "I have enjoyed myself," she admitted, and smirked. "You will see exactly how much I enjoyed myself when you pay Tony for everything I purchased. It is a good thing Valtur put so much silver in my name."

"I'm sure it is a pittance," Loki scoffed, moving toward the door that led to the sitting room. When he reached it, he paused, his hand on the door's knob. "You will miss Midgard?"

"I will miss seeing everyone here," she admitted, playing with the ties to her robe in an effort to keep her hands busy. Her preoccupation with her appearance was beginning to vex her, so much that she spoke before she fully thought through her words. "But I miss Okershall. I am ready to go home."

She caught her breath as soon as the words left her mouth.

Loki's body was still, his eyes unreadable. But when he spoke, his voice seemed to wrap around her much as her mother's silk shawl had done. "I am ready for us to go back as well."

He left after that, saying that he would wait in the sitting room while she dressed. As soon as the door closed behind him, Asrior's hands flew again to her hair, and then to her cheeks, which were burning.

Home. She had never referred to Okershall as home, not out loud. To do so would be to admit that she wanted to stay, and wanting to stay at the castle would mean staying married to Loki. She did not want to stay married to him.

At least, she had not wanted that before.

Now, she did not know what she wanted. She only knew that when she had been angry with him, it had been easy to forget that she had once found him pleasing to look upon or interesting to talk to. Now that her anger had faded to almost nothing, her fascination with him had come back with absurdly little effort. She could only imagine how much worse it would get if he did something as…as wonderful as giving her a sky full of stars again.

Or look at her as he'd done the night before when she'd turned to thank him.

Asrior did not want to feel that way. Loki had offered to continue their marriage as a recompense for his wrongs, and as much as she ached to remain at Okershall, she did not want to do so under those circumstances. She wanted more than simple repayment. But how much more, she was much too afraid to admit.

Growling with frustration at herself and at him, Asrior stomped into the bathroom to change. Fifteen minutes later, she had restored order to her hair, if not her sanity. And after dressing in her Asgardian tunic and pants, she made her way into the sitting room, silently following Loki to the elevator.

Much as the night before, she found it hard not to look at him. It was easier to pretend she was not so tempted when they arrived upstairs to sit around the long dining table for breakfast. There was Pepper to say goodbye to before the other woman left to travel away on business. There was Steve to say thank you to for being so patient an escort. There was Bruce to talk to, for he had taken time off from his newest project to help with the final fitting of the repulsor bands.

And then there was Tony. He was overly solicitous to Asrior once again, and even more sarcastic than usual with Loki. For his part, Loki withstood the Midgardian's taunts with composure. The fact that he would be leaving in a few hours probably made the morning easier to endure.

As breakfast was winding down, Loki escaped to the library one last time, while Pepper left, along with Steve. When Bruce wandered down into the laboratory, Tony leaned back in his chair, regarding Asrior with a question in his eyes.

"What?" she asked finally, for he'd been giving her enigmatic looks all morning.

"Nothing," he said with a look that said the opposite. "I think I'm just tired. I'm not used to staying up so late these days. Or drinking quite as much. Or the cigars…"

Asrior arched a brow. "Really?"

"Mmmm." He looked thoughtful and picked up an apple from a fruit bowl next to his elbow. "After the last time your husband was here on Earth, I kind of went wild with good behavior."

Fearing where the conversation was heading, Asrior mumbled, "Good behavior? Really…"

Now he was staring at the apple. "Yes. Really. I was focused on keeping everyone safe. On keeping Pepper safe. People died, and I didn't want her to die." For once, Tony's voice did not have an edge to it, and he looked as serious as she'd ever seen him. "I made a hundred of my suits. I stopped drinking for a while. Ate so much plant life that I was a walking produce stand. I had to be perfect, you see, to be ready for when something bad happened."

"Tony—" she began, but he kept talking.

"But I couldn't sleep. I couldn't' stop working. I was having panic attacks. I was _really _messed up—and your husband was a huge reason for that."

Asrior didn't like the look on his face, so she pushed back from the table. "Everyone makes choices in how they react to the circumstances they are dealt. I'm not absolving Loki for what he did, but your reaction…"

"I was _haunted_ about the people I couldn't save. Obsessed with not letting it happen again," he continued, his face growing hard. "And has any single one of those people that died ever crossed his mind…"

Her hands were clumsy as she picked up her plate and teacup. "This is not the time for this." She almost ran to the kitchen, but Tony followed her. After she threw everything into the sink, she whirled around to face him. "What is that you want, Tony? Why are you saying this now? You've been helping him…you allowed him to stay here, to…"

"I don't want him to be happy."

"What?" She shook her head a little, for his words didn't make sense. "I don't…"

Tony's arms were crossed, his face dark. "Yes, I've helped him. The logical part of my brain understands that he's paid for his crimes. I know he's faced Asgardian justice, which I've been told is a pretty unpleasant thing, with unpleasant being a gargantuan understatement. I know he fought with Thor when their dad died, and I know Thor trusts him. I know he's doing a pretty good job ruling his lands. I've been there, seen him in action. I know all of that."

"So why are you talking like this?" she asked, feeling almost helpless.

"Because despite all of that, I can't forget what he did here. Those people that haunted me, I can't forget what he did to them. It literally makes me sick to my stomach to think that after everything he did, he might be _happy_." Tony spit out the last word.

"What…what makes you think he would be happy?" Asrior's heart was hammering, and whether it was with fright or something different altogether was unclear.

"Because I see the way you look at him." His words were clipped.

"But… What does that have to do with…"

"And I've seen the way he looks at you."

Her heart, which had been lumbering wildly, stopped.

"What do you mean?" she whispered, watching as Tony's face fell into resigned lines.

"You know what I mean," he said as he rubbed a hand over his eyes. "It was different before. You hated him. You were going to divorce him as soon as you could. Things changed though."

She leaned against the kitchen's counter and looked at her feet. "I still might divorce him."

Tony sighed. "I'm not so sure about that."

Asrior didn't feel like belaboring the point. Just at that moment, she wanted to go back to the familiar comfort of Okershall so much that it ached, but she wanted to leave on good terms with her friend.

So she took a deep breath and stepped forward, putting a tentative hand on his arm. "Tony…I will not make excuses for what Loki did here. But you have to understand, I have seen real evil. I have seen…"

"I know," he said, and the anger slowly left his eyes. "I saw, on your shoulder last night. I know what your father did to you."

The look on his face made tears prick at her eyelids, and Asrior had to look down again before continuing. "Then you should know that I cannot judge Loki the same way you do. He is _nothing _like Valtur. He…he might not think about the consequences of his actions, but he does not revel in the fallout, either. He did not _want _to hurt so many…He did not deliberately…"

"But he didn't think about it. Their lives were insignificant to him."

Asrior raised her eyes then, her face solemn. "I am not so sure that he hasn't thought about their lives since then." Tony's face was still grim. She sighed, trying to explain, "I only know what I have seen. And the man I have lived with, despite hurting me enormously, has proven to be worthy of my forgiveness. He has earned my trust. And… and…"

Tony stepped back then, grimacing. "And more? He's earned more?"

"That is not your business." She wanted to look at her hands again, but she willed herself to keep her eyes on his face. A part of her wanted to laugh, for it was the opposite of how she was around Loki; desperate to look at him and forcing herself not to do so.

It seemed like an eternity that Tony just stared at her before making a gurgling sound in this throat and rubbing his face with both hands. When he had lowered them, he grimaced.

"Just don't expect me to send you a wedding present."

Asrior could not help her mouth from tilting upwards slightly. "Consider yourself lucky that we are already married."

"Thank God for small favors," Tony grunted. " And I don't mean your husband."

She was smiling fully at that, and his face relaxed as well. It seemed as though whatever temper had been flourishing in him had dampened slightly.

"Come on, Keebler. Let's go have one last run with the repulsor beams," he said then, giving her a fond look. "And try to talk Loki into acting as a target again. For me. For old time's sake."

Two hours later, after being fitted with a fully functioning and tested pair of metal bands, Asrior stood on the roof of Stark Tower next to the god that so vexed the mortals.

Bruce was there as well, trying to look cheerful as he pressed a book into her hands. "Keep in touch," he said, smiling gently. "Try to stay safe."

She nodded, tears filling her eyes, for she was not sure when she would see her Midgardian friends again. "You stay safe as well, Bruce. And be happy."

And then Tony was there, pushing his sunglasses onto his head so that he could look her directly in her eyes.

"You can always stay here."

Asrior felt Loki tense beside her.

"No. I can't," she said, pushing aside her exasperation at the mortal's insistent provocation. She linked her arm with her husband's in a show of solidarity. "My home is on Asgard. Loki will keep me safe."

"He'd better." Tony ignored the god she was clinging to. "Be careful out there."

He was talking about more than just her father.

She hoped her face was not too red. She wanted to tell him to mind his own business again, but instead looked him in the eyes and said, "You need to trust me."

Asrior tightened her hold on Loki's arm.

Loki looked down at her, his eyes veiled, but his body was shimmering with the pent-up power she had felt earlier. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." Her fingers flexed against the leather of his coat, and the eyes she turned up to him with were earnest. "Please take me back."

_Please take me back home._

With a quick look at the Midgardians and a flick of his hand on the portal, they were gone.

….

Everyone kept giving Asrior gifts.

The damned mortals had given her gifts as she'd left Midgard. The Halfjornson children sent over drawings while she'd been away. Hlin left romance-filled books destined never to be read by her bedside. Even Hogun had brought over a present—a small black and white rabbit that lived in the greenhouse and got on well with the cats that slept there according to his wife.

Loki did not know why their actions pestered at him, but they did.

He liked seeing Asrior smile, so it wasn't her reaction to the gifts that annoyed him. It wasn't the fact that others gave things to her, for he found that he was grateful to those who had shown her friendship, especially those who did so without full knowledge of her past.

Perhaps it was because the gifts made her happy—and he himself was unable to take part in that.

He had given her books by the lake, but had been insincere in doing so. He'd given her clothing, but he'd originally done that to ensure she looked the part of mistress of Okershall and to exert his power over her. He wanted to do more now, wanted to give things to her simply because she would like them, but this new impulse was forestalled by the specter of the past.

She had liked it when he'd shown her the stars on Midgard so much that she'd giving him that light-filled smile she so rarely bestowed. Since they returned to the castle, he'd been driven by an urge to repeat the experience. Only Asgardian stars were easily viewed from his lands, and she could see them almost any time she wished. He could not get her mere things, for he was pathetically unsure how she would react something that came from him despite the change between them. He had no idea what to do.

Until he remembered her necklace.

It was not a gift, not really, for Birgitta's gold chain had belonged to Asrior. Loki had put it away in his desk after she'd first arrived, had forgotten to give it to Sif. He'd almost run to his workroom when he remembered and had hastily fished it out of its hiding place, putting it in his pocket, ready to present it to her.

It had been harder than he'd expected, though, for someone was always around—usually Hlin—and Loki did not want an audience for this particular gift. The few times he'd been alone with her since their return, their circumstances had been less than ideal, and for some reason he wanted the occasion to be memorable. The necklace was all she had left of her mother. Asrior deserved for it to be returned to her with care.

So he kept it in his pocket and waited for the right opportunity—though he did not expect it to happen where it did.

"Do you mind?" she asked from the back of the cart as they neared the boulders. They'd driven out to the village, and she'd asked him to stop on the way back. Hlin, who was driving the cart, had asked to walk back to the castle when it pulled to a stop, saying he needed to get tools they'd picked up to Ulvgeir before it grew too late in the day.

"Why would I mind?" Loki asked.

"You'll have to drive the ponies back," Asrior pointed out.

"It's fine," he said, motioning with his chin for Hlin to jump from the cart. "But why do you want to stop?"

Asrior was climbing from the back, a small basket in her hand. "Nessa gave me the last of her green ixia bulbs. If I get them into the ground now, they will bloom after the snows melt."

Loki looked up at the sky, which was more gray than blue. In little more than three weeks' time, Vatrnaetr would arrive, and the snows would come soon after.

He walked with her to the boulders and watched as she quickly dug into the dirt near the front of them. She did not have many to plant, and soon enough, she was standing, her basket empty save for the small trowel she placed in it.

"You enjoy working here?" he asked, for her expression was peaceful.

"I know you do not understand it, but there are many who visit this place to remember their loved ones. It is a comfort to work here." Asrior looked down at the boulder she'd planted near, and he noticed the names on it.

_Alv Ulvgeirson. Nias Ulvgeirson. Sia Tarikdotter. Gram Goverttson. Bargey Doandotter._

Loki suddenly realized that this place honoring the fallen was more than suitable a spot to return her mother's necklace. And though he had imagined presenting it to her with more ceremony, he dug into his pocket and pulled out the small silk bag, handing it to her without saying anything.

"What is this?" she asked, curious.

"Something I should have given you long before today," Loki said. "Look inside."

She opened the bag and turned it upside down, her eyes growing wide as the gold chain slid from the silk to pool on her upturned palm.

Asrior drew in a deep breath when she realized what he'd given her and began blinking as though she were about to cry.

"I'm sorry it took so long for me to return it," he said, watching as she gazed at the golden chain. "I only just remembered that I still had it."

She simply nodded. And though she offered a gruff, "thank you," after a moment, she did not move, not even when a tear escaped from under her lashes.

Loki, needing to do something other than watch her stand like a grieving statue, muttered, "Here. You should put it on."

He took the chain from her hand and moved to stand behind her. His fingers fumbled with the necklace's clasp for a moment, but he managed to open it and bring it around the front of her. Her hair was tumbling down her back, though, so thick that it was difficult to reach under it to fasten the chain.

Asrior moved then, whispering, "Let me help." She raised her arms, reaching back to gather her hair and lifted it from her neck.

Carefully weaving the chain under the dark red curtain of hair she held aloft, Loki attached the clasp and lowered it against the nape of her neck. But before he moved his hands away, he put his fingers on the fine gold links and slid them along it, pressing gently in place along her skin as he murmured, "There."

She seemed to shiver, and then she stepped away from him, allowing her hair to fall back down.

"Thank you," she said again, turning toward him. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her, and her eyes were somewhere in the vicinity of his chest.

"It is lovely." He looked at the necklace, and though it was bright against the black of her cloak, Loki's eyes were drawn to the spot where the arrow had torn through it, and he stared at the poorly-gathered furrows where it had been repaired.

"I think so." Asrior sniffed loudly, only then realizing that tears had fallen down her cheek. Her mouth opened slightly as a hand rose to her face. As she rubbed her fingers across it, she finally raised her eyes to his. They were shining and rueful as she said, "I seem to cry very easily now."

"There is no shame in it." Loki's said, his voice soft. As he watched her try to restore a semblance of order to herself, he remembered her shaken confession after the nightmare, and then he remembered the first time she'd seen him by the lake. He'd been holding Falhofnir, and she'd backed away, more out of fear of the horse than for him he now realized. Almost instantly, he found himself asking, "Do you… Do you want to do something about how you feel around horses?"

Her hand fell, and she looked surprised. "Do what? If you're talking about a potion…"

"No, not that. But I can help you, if you'd like." Her eyes were wary as she looked up at him. Loki took a deep breath, adding, "It is a shame to see you afraid of any creature given your love of them."

She looked hopeful for only a moment and then shook her head, her face grim. "No. I do not think it is possible. I cannot do it," she said, turning to head back to the cart.

Loki sighed and began following her, saying, "Think about it, Asrior."

"There is nothing to think about." Her steps grew faster, as though she wanted to run from him. "Ask Hlin. He tried to put me on a horse and ended up covered in my vomit."

His first instinct was to reason with her. "You are not giving yourself enough credit. Think about this logically."

"I am being realistic," she said, reaching the back of the cart and tossing the basket inside. "You are not being logical."

"You are being…" he began, annoyed, and he had to bite back his words.

Asrior turned to glare at him. "I am being what, exactly?"

"A coward."

It was a low blow, but Loki realized that she needed something beyond aggravation. She needed to get angry, so angry that her natural instinct to fight back would emerge. Angry enough to prove him wrong despite her fears.

Her face went white. "I am no coward."

"Then why not try?" Loki bit out, stepping toward her. "You survived your father's whip, and you bore more pain in silence than any warrior of Asgard could bear with a thousand healing stones. I thought I knew what you were capable of, but now you are letting a…a dream, an imaginary monster under the bed defeat you."

"It happened, it was real!" she shouted, her hands fisting at her sides, as though she fought not to strike out at him. "How _dare _you say it was my imagination! After what I told you…"

"I know it was real, Asrior, but it's over now. It's in the past." Loki's voice was grim. She turned as though to move away from him, but his hands flew to the tops of her arms, grasping them so tightly she gasped. "You faced Valtur every damn day knowing that another beating was inevitable. You sent Kagoq away knowing that it would make it worse for you. You did all of that knowing that pain would follow. _Why _are you so afraid now? I'm not going to put you on a horse if you can't handle it. I'm not even going to put you on a horse if you don't want to get on one. I won't allow you to fall, I won't cut you, and you won't get hurt."

Asrior's eyes were almost wild, and she was trying to pull away from him. "I am not afraid! I do not care if I get hurt! I don't want to remember, I _can't _remember how I felt… You don't know how that makes me feel…" She stopped struggling as the last words left her mouth, and her gaze seemed to focus as it slid to his.

"But you have remembered already," Loki said gently, his hands loosening to slide up to her shoulders. "You have allowed yourself to cry for your mother, and you know that you can do so forever if you wish. So if you are not afraid of being harmed, then there is no reason not to try."

"Oh." Asrior's face began to crumple, and she pushed her hands over her eyes as she moaned, "You are right. I am being a coward."

Loki sighed when her head bent, and his hands moved slowly from her shoulders to her back. "No. You are brave," he said, pulling her toward him, pleased when she did not resist. "If the warriors of Asgard had half your mettle, the wars we have fought would have ended a thousand years ago."

Asrior moved her hands to grip his coat, and when she turned her head to rest it against his chest, his arm tightened around her shoulders. She sighed against him and then spoke, her voice muffled. "You are being very contrary. Make up your mind as to your opinion of my courage."

A chuckle filled his throat, and some of the tension eased from Asrior's shoulders. His laughter died, though, for she moved one of her hands and pushed it under his coat. The action bought her even closer to him, and despite the thickness of the metal-studded leather he wore, Loki was keenly aware of the feel of her body against his.

Her thighs were pressed against his legs, and her breasts against his chest. He wanted to slide a hand down her back and curve it around her hip to pull her closer. He wanted to push his other hand into her hair and tilt her head back so that he could show her with his mouth exactly what his opinion of her was.

But he was sworn to protect her. He could not force his attentions on her, could not trick her into something she might not want, and it would be all too simple to seduce someone as vulnerable as Asrior was at the moment. Any such union had to be welcomed on her part. It had to be her choice.

So he contented himself with sliding his hand into her hair where it fell onto her back. "I meant what I said about your bravery. You will conquer your fear of horses. I know you will."

She pulled back from him. Her eyes were fixed on her hands, which still rested on his chest, and when she licked her bottom lip, Loki squeezed his eyes shut for a moment.

"Very well," Asrior said, trying to sound stout, though her voice was still a bit rough. She pulled her hands away from him. "We can try."

"Good." Loki moved toward the front of the cart, pulling his thoughts in more pure directions. "We'll go up to the castle and start with the ponies."

Asrior paused mid-step. "Now? Today?"

"Of course," he said, holding out a hand and beckoning her to climb into the cart. "The sooner we get started, the sooner you lose your fear. I have something I would like to show you in the woods, but I am afraid the pony cart cannot take us there."

"What?" she asked, looking curious again.

"It's a surprise," he said, and refused to tell her anymore.

….

Loki approached the endeavor in a highly organized manner.

They went into his workroom first, where Asrior sat on her settee and he at his desk. As she settled back into the pillows, Loki pulled a piece of paper toward him.

"We need to list the things you want to work on," he said, looking at her very much like Kagoq had when he taught her as a child. "Then we can order them from simplest to most difficult to achieve, and we'll start with the easiest. Putting it down like this will make it more real for you."

He looked at her expectantly. Asrior thought for a moment before saying, "I'd like to not become ill when I get near a horse."

"I'm serious, Asrior."

She folded her hands primly. "So am I. Ask Hlin how serious I am."

Muttering under his breath, he began to write, finally asking, "What else?"

"I suppose we should start off with the ponies. It would be nice to be near them without being afraid. To touch them."

He scribbled again on the paper.

She pulled on her lip, thinking. "And to feed them. Hlin gives them apples."

After a moment, when he paused, she said, "I should probably learn to drive the cart, too."

"Do you want to ride, eventually?"

"A pony?" she asked.

Loki nodded. "That. And a horse."

Asrior tried to imagine herself on a horse. She had enjoyed riding before the accident on Svartalfheim, though her mounts had usually been docile. If she could ride a horse, it would be easier for Loki, for he so hated the pony cart. And once she did not require constant protection, she would be free to roam the countryside as well, for the cart could be lumbering and slow…

She sat up a little, startled, for she was imagining the future as though she would stay at Okershall.

Her face flushing, she mumbled, "I suppose it would be a good idea to try to ride both. But I am not sure about the horse."

"We'll add it to the list. But when we get to that point, if it is too much for you, I will not force you to ride."

They continued listing things for a while. When they were finished, Loki pushed back from his desk, saying, "Very well. Off we go to the ponies."

Asrior leaned back against the cushions, feeling weak. "Already?"

"Do not let your courage fail you now," he said firmly, walking over to the settee and holding out his hand. "We are only going to visit the ponies Hogun gave to you. You do not even have to touch them. Just try to be near them for today."

Sighing, she reached out and allowed him to pull her up. Loki kept his hand around hers once she was standing, and his touch seemed to bolster her resolve. Her fingers tightened around his and she gave him a valiant look. "Be brave."

"Exactly." Loosening his hold on her hand after a second, he motioned for her to follow him, and as they began to walk toward the old keep, he said, "I think you might actually find that today's task will not be as difficult as you expect. In my experience, reliving is the worst part. You've already done that. You've talked about what happened."

Asrior looked up at him. Loki's face was calm, almost reflective, and she asked, "You have had to confront your fears before?"

His lips thinned slightly, but when he looked down at her, they turned up into a small smile. "Yes. It was one of the tortures I was given when I was imprisoned."

He did not say any more, and Asrior's heart constricted at his admission. She could only imagine the visions that had tormented him. Despite his crimes, she understood some of what drove him, for both of them longed to be of Asgard even though they were set apart from it. They were both seen as monsters.

Asrior reached out and placed tentative fingers on his arm. Loki did not pull away

When they approached the far pasture where her ponies grazed, Asrior slid her hand from him and leaned against the fence that surrounded the field. Loki stood next to her and whistled. The ponies began to lumber over, and her heart beat wildly as they neared. When she took a few steps back from the fence, Loki did not say anything, at least, not to her. He was murmuring at the ponies and when they stuck their heads over the fence, he offered his fist for them to smell.

"Have you named them?" he asked, his voice soft.

Loki was trying to distract her, she realized, and Asrior took a deep breath. "Yes. They are Aphrodite and Mars."'

He actually grinned. One of the ponies blew hard and butted its head against Loki's arm. Asrior jumped, but her husband began rubbing his hand along the creature's cheeks even as he looked over at her.

"But you said that book was wretched."

She took another deep breath, and though her heart still raced, she realized that she did not feel sick to her stomach. "It was. But the ponies seem to have a…fondness for each other."

One of the animals wandered away from them, but the other stood there, nudging Loki's arm as the god moved his hand to stroke its neck.

"Why Aphrodite and Mars? I mean, in the book. Where was Venus? Or Ares for that matter?"

"They were neglecting Aphrodite and Mars." Asrior took a small step toward the fence. "Ares was dealing with his children on Mount Olympus, and Venus was busy interfering with the King of Sparta's marriage to Helen."

"Ah."

She took another step. "Yes. So, Aphrodite and Mars decided to have a cross-realm love affair or some such nonsense."

When she was at the fence, Asrior put her hands on the railing, gripping it hard. Loki was rubbing the pony's ears, and he softly murmured, "Try to relax. Remember, you won't get hurt. You've already faced the worst of it the other night."

The breath she took was shaky, but Asrior realized that her heart wasn't racing quite as much as before.

_Be brave._

"This one is Aphrodite, I take it?" He asked, his eyes back on the pony.

The animal looked at her, but did not move from its spot by Loki, and Asrior nodded, saying, "I told Hlin that I took their names from a book. I believe that is why he thinks I like such romantic drivel."

The pony began to move closer. As it did so, Loki moved too, standing so that he was behind Asrior.

"You're doing very well, you know. Here, loosen your grip." He took hold of one of her hands. "She'll want to smell you. Offer her a fist."

"I remember from before. I liked horses before that day. I liked to ride."

She was trying to keep her breathing even. Loki put his other hand on her shoulder, saying, "Steady now. You're doing fine." He sounded as though he was pacifying his horse.

Asrior managed to offer her hand to Aphrodite, who snorted when she saw it. Then the creature lowered her head and moved her nose from the bottom of the fist to the top, brushing against it and blowing on it when she was done.

"Well?" Loki asked, his voice near her ear, and he reached around her to stroke the pony's nose.

Asrior moved back a little, bumping into his chest. "That wasn't so bad."

The hand on her shoulder tightened, and her heart began beating erratically again.

Aphrodite's head pushed further over the fence. When Loki moved his hand from the pony and put it at his side, Asrior took a deep breath and stepped away from him, putting space between their bodies. She put her own hand out then, moving carefully so that her fingers grazed the tip of the pony's nose.

"Good girl," Loki breathed, and Asrior wondered if he meant her or the animal.

But she slid her fingers over the silky nose, just for a moment, and then moved them away, astounded at what she had done.

"I told you that you could do this. We will have you on a horse in no time," Loki said, and she turned her face up to his. His eyes were gleaming, and he looked almost proud of her. Asrior could not help the smile that broke across her face.

"I must admit, I am amazed." She slipped to the side, though, afraid that between her delight at touching the pony and the effect her husband was having on her, she would do something stupid.

Loki's hand fell from her shoulder as she moved, watching as Aphrodite walked away from them, wandering back to stand beside Mars.

"What shall we do next?" she asked, shoving her hands into her cloak.

"Now? We'll head back to the castle. I have to correspond with the regional governors." He looked down at her. "But tomorrow morning, we'll come back. We'll bring apples."

She was able to muster the nerve to give the ponies the apples the next day, though it was several more before she was able to mount one. Loki saddled Mars when the time came, for he had suffered fewer beatings than Aphrodite and was stronger. Asrior did nothing more than climb into the saddle and sit there, not moving, insisting that her husband stay by her side. He eventually led the pony around the paddock while she sat on it, and when she took the same route on her own, Loki decided that it was time for her to approach the horses.

He started with Kaja, the creature Hlin had insisted she ride when she'd fainted and become ill.

Asrior stood outside of the paddock and watched the first time the mare was led to the fence. She did not approach it that day, choosing to watch Loki as he rubbed and talked to the horse. Despite his assurances that the creature was a gentle one, its size made it much more frightening than the ponies.

On the second day, though, she offered Kaja a fist and an apple. But getting onto the animal proved much more difficult. The first time she tried to mount the mare, Asrior almost fainted. Loki assured her that she need not push herself, but she was determined to try. She finally managed to stay seated, but only for a few seconds before begging to get down.

Loki pulled her from Kaja immediately, muttering, "This will not do. Not if we are to ride into the woods."

"I'm sorry," Asrior said, sighing bitterly. "I know I'm being foolish…"

"No, I'm not…I'm not saying that," he assured her.. "You're doing magnificently."

"You're just being kind," she grumbled.

"I've told you often enough, I am not kind, Asrior," Loki corrected. "But if I am to show you what I want to, we need to ride out tomorrow."

Asrior moved to the paddock fence and leaned her back against it. "I will never be able to ride by then."

"No," he agreed, reaching up to scratch behind Kaja's ears. "Not on your own. But do you think you could ride with me? Behind me? Hang on to me while I ride?"

Taking a deep breath, Asrior asked, "This thing in the woods, it is very good?"

His mouth tilted up. "You will think so."

"Then I will try." She sounded doubtful.

Loki gave her an encouraging look, though, and beckoned her back over. "Good. Let's try now."

Gathering her courage, Asrior followed him to the mounting block, muttering, "I hope this words."

"Be brave," he instructed, helping her into the saddle once again. When she was settled, he put a boot in the stirrup, warning, "Scoot back and watch out," before he swung himself up.

He was in front of her before she had a chance to be afraid, and Asrior put her arms around his waist, holding on tightly.

"You're all right?" Loki asked, laying a reassuring hand on her thigh.

"Perfectly," she managed, almost thankful that he was touching her, for the feel of his hand was distracting. "What do we do now?"

His hand pressed against her leg for a moment before he moved and faced forward. "We walk."

They started off slowly, walking around the paddock and then moving outside, to the grounds around the castle. Asrior's grip on her husband remained tight, for she seemed to jar with each step of the horse. Loki, however, sat easily, hardly moving as he guided Kaja down the hill.

Though she was nervous, Asrior found that she was not afraid with Loki on the horse. Her husband must have felt her body relax, for he looked back and asked, "Are you ready to go faster?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Loki pushed the horse into a canter, and Asrior fell into his back, a chill of fear gripping her chest. The god was obviously comfortable riding the creature, though, and his assurance was encouraging. Asrior focused on breathing steadily, finding that her fright was easing. When he pulled Kaja to a stop after a while, she loosened her arms slightly, her voice filled with wonder as she said, "This is truly amazing. Hlin will be very jealous to know that you are not covered in bile by now."

When they were heading back to the castle, she tried to find out what he was taking her to see, but Loki would not tell. She asked again at supper, with no success, and even Hlin was mystified as to their journey. At breakfast, she was busy trying to decide if the nervous fluttering in her stomach was caused by fear or excitement, asking only once where they were going. Again, Loki would not tell.

He also did not tell her that they were riding Falhofnir into the woods.

Asrior's face blanched at the sight of the giant sorrel when they finally approached the stables, for he was much larger than Kaja.

"Loki, I'm not sure…" she began, her body growing tense as she stared at the horse.

She felt a hand on hers, and she looked up into Loki's eyes. They were reassuring, as was his voice as he said, "Courage, Asrior. I'll be with you."

His fingers tightened on her hand as he spoke, and she nodded, her expression growing resolved. "All right, then, let's go," she said with a voice that shook only a little. "Help me up."

"Good girl." Loki's voice flitted along her skin, and he moved his hand, lifting it to touch the side of her face for a moment. When he moved toward Falhornir, the spot where his fingers had rested tingled.

As the day before, she was soon up on the horse, Loki in front of her. Her arms wound around his waist and held on tightly. And despite the beast's more powerful frame, Asrior found herself calmed by her husband's confidence as he rode.

They cantered toward the path that led to the village, slowing slightly as they entered the woods. At some point as they slid through the forest, Loki turned onto a narrow path that led into dense brush, pulling the horse into a quick walk.

"I have never seen this path before,"Asrior said, her head craning around to look at the giant tree trunks that almost brushed her knees as they passed. "It must be hard to spot."

"This isn't a path," Loki murmured.

Asrior's eyes widened, and she tried to peer around him. His shoulders were broad, though, and she had to hold on to him tightly as she leaned out to look.

"Careful," he warned, one of his hands moving to push her back behind him.

She moved back and tightened her arms, but not before she saw that he was right—there was no path, though the thick brush seemed to open as Falhofnir moved into it.

"You are doing magic," she muttered against his back.

"Yes. I am doing magic." She felt more than heard his answer, for the words seemed to reverberate through her.

"Are you going to tell me where you're taking me?"

"No."

After a while, Asrior relaxed more and leaned into his back, resting her cheek against the leather of his coat. She realized that she was not afraid at all.

Eventually, they reached a clearing, and Asrior saw that the forest was rockier. They were climbing now, up a steep hill, and the trees grew thinner and shorter.

When he finally stopped the horse, Loki looked back at her, saying only, "This is the place."

He slid off and took her down with him, and after looping Falhofnir's reins around a tree branch, turned toward a small, rocky hill.

Asrior gave him a questioning look.

"We walk now," he said, tilting his head toward the slope.

Sighing at him, she followed as he led the way forward. They did not walk for long, however, for the sparse trees they were weaving through ended suddenly, as did the slope. When she saw that they were on an outcrop that overlooked a rocky chasm, Asrior gasped.

"Quiet," he whispered as she moved to his side, his voice so low that it was hard to hear him. He put a hand on her back and leaned so that his mouth was near her ear. "We do not want to scare them away."

Her curiosity was hard to contain. "Scare what away?"

"Those," Loki said, pointing to a tree that grew out so that it hung over the chasm, looking pleased with himself as he did so.

Asrior's eyes narrowed as she focused on the tree, and when she saw the giant nest on its branches, her mouth opened. She leaned forward so quickly that she almost tipped over.

Loki's hand shot out and pulled her back, and then moved around her waist, securing her to his side. "Don't fall." His voice was hushed. "You'll miss the Habroks leave."

"Leave?" she whispered back, staring at the birds whose heads were peaking over the nest's twigs.

"Yes. They've been practicing flight for weeks, but it's time for them to head out on their own," he explained. Asrior's eyes were wide as she watched one of the hawk-like creatures climb out of the nest and onto the massive branch that hung over the chasm. Loki looked down at her, almost smiling. "There are two Habroks that use this nest every year. Their offspring are about to fly off on their own, toward the warmer countries. They leave right before Vatrnaetr."

"How did you know they would leave today?"

"I've been watching them so that I could know when to come here," he said simply, and then jutted his chin toward the nest. "There goes one now."

The bird that had sat on the branch was lifting off, its great wings spreading out as it soared above the wooded ravine. It began gliding, swooping low over the spot where Asrior stood with Loki, its giant wings so close that she ducked.

She felt him laugh against her, and then his voice was in her ear. "Don't worry. They're not interested in us."

"I'm not worried," she insisted softly, watching as the Habrok flew across the chasm and then over the forest, eventually climbing higher and higher until it was a speck against the blue-grey sky. But when another of the birds flew into the air and swooped over them, Asrior could not help but duck again.

Loki refrained from laughing the second time, instead saying, "If you are afraid, remember that I know magic."

Annoyed at his patronizing tone, she scoffed, "The prospect of wandering around in a thick fog for days does little to comfort me."

She was pleased to see the smug look in his eyes vanish.

"You did not complain about my magic on Stark Tower."

"Yes…I believe I used the word glorious," she said, knitting her brow as though she was thinking deeply. "Perhaps I meant to say adequate."

Loki narrowed his eyes, and after a moment, he grunted, "You are deliberately goading me."

It was as dangerous as waving a bright colored cloth at a bilge snipe, but Asrior could not help herself. "Very good, Loki. You are brighter than Tony says."

She had hoped to throw him off by mentioning the mortal, but he paid little heed to her words. Instead, he was giving her a look that made her skin prickle. "It would serve you right if turned myself invisible again. Or turned you into one of your precious cats."

Another of the Habroks launched from the nest, and she turned to watch it, thankful for the distraction. The look in his eyes made her feel flushed, and she was suddenly very aware of the hand at her waist, its warmth evident even through the thickness of her cloak.

"Look, another one is leaving," she said, trying to focus on the bird. "How many are there?"

Asrior tried to pull away from him slightly, but Loki's hand gripped her waist tighter, and he muttered, "Stop. You don't want to fall, for I'll have a devil of a time fishing you from the ravine. And there are five that will fly away today."

So she watched the nest and tried to not think too much about the god standing beside her, eventually managing to enjoy the spectacle of the birds flying over the forest.

When the last one disappeared over the horizon, Asrior turned to look up at her husband, and she saw that he had been watching her instead of the bird.

"Thank you for bringing me here," she said, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Then she bit her lip and looked down as she admitted, "I'm sorry for teasing you earlier. The Habroks are as glorious as the stars. They really are, even though this wasn't sorcery."

"It isn't?" Loki sounded so odd that she raised her eyes again. "Did…did seeing them make you happy?"

He was standing very still. Something in his expression told Asrior that her answer was very important to him.

"Yes, it did," she whispered, gazing at him. "And…and being able to ride a horse, even if I cannot do it on my own yet. You have no idea how that makes me feel. Thank you for giving that back to me."

Loki slowly raised his palm and placed it against her cheek, his touch tentative. Just as carefully, Asrior reached up to take his wrist so that she was clinging to it, and she pressed her face against his hand. For a moment, she was possessed with an urge to turn her head so that her lips were against his palm, but she closed her eyes instead, concentrating on the feel of his skin against hers.

She did not know how long they stayed that way, but he finally said, "We should go back now." Asrior loosened her grip on his wrist. When he carefully moved his hand from her face, the barest hint of a smile touched his lips, and he simply stood there and looked at her.

Asrior gazed back at him, knowing in that moment that if he asked her to remain at Okershall as his wife, she would agree without hesitation. Tony spoke of how she had watched Loki, but she realized that what she felt was more than simply finding his looks pleasing. She was drawn to everything about him—to his quicksilver moods and mind, to the power that seemed to shimmer just below the surface of his every action. To his kindness, for though such was rare from him, when he chose to be thoughtful, it was wholehearted. She liked how he was ruled by powerful emotion, and how he would turn impatient and bad tempered when sentiment overcame him. She even liked how dangerous he was and how he kept such careful control over himself.

Her stomach clenched tight as such thoughts flew through her mind, and she wondered if her feelings were evident on her face. But Loki was putting his hand on her shoulder, guiding her in front of him and down the slope toward the horse, saying, "Falhofnir will be getting impatient with us."

They were soon on their way back through the woods, Asrior's arms wound tightly around Loki's waist. Her thoughts were in a jumble, and when he began talking at one point, it took a moment for his words to register.

"I believe that I am getting close to finding a way to break the binding spells Valtur uses. You should think of what your decision will be when the time comes."

Asrior leaned away from him a little, trying to understand. "What do you mean, when the time comes?"

"When your father has been dealt with. You will need to decide what you will do."

"You are talking of divorce?" Her voice did not sound like her own.

"That. Or staying married." He sounded as though he was offering her a choice of food at breakfast.

"Staying married as compensation for the wrongs done to me," she clarified, her body stiffening.

Loki did not answer right away, but when he spoke, he sounded dispassionate. "Yes."

She felt as though she'd been hit in the chest, and she stared at his back, wondering how he could sound so detached after they'd just…

They'd what? She had come to a realization after they'd watched the Habroks, one that shook the heart of her.

Loki, obviously, had not.

"I am not sure what I will do," Asrior said, trying to keep her voice even. The knot of tension in her stomach dissolved and turned into a dull ache, and she would die of shame if he knew that she had briefly imagined that he had felt something other than responsibility when he looked at her. "What is your opinion on the matter?"

"I think you need to make your own choice, Asrior." There was a thin strain of irritation in his voice.

Asrior scowled at his back, furious with herself, for she wanted nothing better at the moment than to ask him if he wanted her to stay.

"I will think about it," she muttered, saying no more, for her throat felt thick.

Loki was quiet as well, not talking until they reached the castle. As they climbed down from Falhofnir and moved toward the old keep, Hlin poked his head from the greenhouse door, shouting, "Asrior! I have been waiting forever. Where did you go?"

She lifted a hand to acknowledge him and risked a look at her husband. "I promised to help with the preparations for Vatrnaetr."

He nodded, looking down at her with a veiled expression, and his words were brisk. "I need to attend to business with Ringsfjord. You go on with Hlin, and I'll check in on you later."

A great sigh left her, and she watched him walk away until he was though the doors near the kitchens. Then, determined to not let his apparent disinterest in her choices spoil her afternoon, she marched to the greenhouse. She was Valtur's daughter. She had survived much, much worse than…than an unrequited regard for the moody, petulant, egotistical god of stupidity. She was probably imagining her own feelings anyway, she told herself stoutly—he had been kind, and she had seen so little of it, and…

And Hlin was there, brimming with excitement over the upcoming holiday. Asrior forced herself to smile brightly at him, telling him that she was ready to help with whatever needed to be done.

It turned out that there was not much to do to prepare. There were special cookies that were handed out to the children, and she helped place those in little boxes. The men from the village would construct the bonfire, so there was nothing to do there. It seemed that what Hlin really wanted to do was to teach her how to dance.

When they were done with the cookies, he took her to one of the castle's formal rooms and pushed the chairs by the fireplace back, asking her if she'd ever learned Asgardian folk dances.

"No," she said, laughing at the idea. "That was not part of my lessons on Svartalfheim, I'm afraid."

"Good. Then I can teach you." Hlin sounded excited. "There is lots of dancing around the bonfire as the night goes on, and Salids said that as mistress of Okershall, you will be expected to dance with some of our people."

"Really?" Asrior arched a brow. "Does Loki dance?"

The sound Hlin made was comical. "It is rare that he does so. But no one is offended at his lack of interest in it."

"I can imagine," she murmured, smiling as the boy took her hand and began showing her the steps of a simple reel.

Hlin watched as she copied his movements, giving her an encouraging look. "Very good for a beginner."

"Do you enjoy this?" she asked when he had her repeat the steps.

"I do," he admitted, but he smirked and added, "Though I am often tasked with dancing with the younger girls and old women who wish to participate."

She grinned at him, and he showed her another dance. They continued in that vein for close to two hours. She learned jigs and cotillions, and something Hlin called a 'barn dance'. The boy encouraged her the entire time, telling her stories of past holidays, and Asrior found that she was enjoying herself, her previous mood fading.

Finally, Hlin said, "We have one more to go, and it's really simple. It's a dance performed when everyone links hands and makes a circle around the bonfire."

"All right." Asrior rolled her neck around. "I am not used to moving so. My back is beginning to ache."

"But you are doing well for someone who has just learned. And this one is the simplest of them all," he said, and then demonstrated the steps. "See?"

But Asrior could not master it. There was one part where her left foot needed to move to the side and then cross in front of her right as she hopped, and her foot kept hitting her ankle instead of crossing. At one point, she almost tripped.

Hlin looked horrified at her inability to learn such an easy dance, and Asrior found herself leaning against him, her shoulders shaking with laughter as she said, "Next time, you will not be so quick to call me graceful."

"You looked like Hogun." He sounded shocked. "He lumbers about like an ox."

"I did not look like an ox." Asrior pretended to be offended, but the look the boy threw her sent her into another gale of laughter.

She moved away from him to brace herself against the fireplace mantle, and as she did so, Loki walked into the room. Asrior could not stop laughing, though, for Hlin did not notice the god's arrival and had begun an exaggerated impression of her, his feet crossing the other in stumbling hops across the carpet until he ran into a chair.

"Whatever are you doing?" Loki asked finally, looking stunned at the sight before him.

The boy turned so quickly that his hand hit an ornament on a side table, tipping it over.

"Who looks like an ox now?" Asrior managed, pressing her hands to her mouth to control her mirth.

"I was teaching Asrior how to dance, my lord." Hlin looked as though he wished the floor would open up and swallow him.

Loki raised a brow. "Is that what you call it?" When Hlin gave an embarrassed nod, the god sighed and said, "I need you to take some things into the village. There's a list in my workroom, on the desk."

"Yes, my lord." Hlin's almost ran from the room, muttering, "I will see you later, Asrior."

After he had gone, Loki turned to her, the expression on his face unreadable. Her hands were on her cheeks, for they hurt from laughing so hard.

"You enjoyed that?" he asked. "Dancing?"

"Oh, yes." She pushed from the mantel and moved to stand by him, trying to steady her breathing. The laughter was still in her voice as she answered. "Hlin was teaching me dances for Vatrnaetr." Loki didn't say anything, and after a moment, feeling awkward in his silence, she lowered her hands and began plucking at her tunic. "Saldis said that I will be expected to dance."

"She is right." Loki was staring at her.

"He says that you do not dance." The merriment began to fade from her voice, for it was hard to read his expression.

He tilted his head to the side as he regarded her, and his face seemed to shift slightly. "Not often. But it is not unheard of."

"Really?" She did not know what to say, for he would not look away from her. "At Vatrnaetr?"

"Yes."

Asrior, growing annoyed, tried to goad him from his staring. "You actually stooped to dance in order to lure that goddess from Thor?"

It did not work.

"No." He shook his head once, but his eyes were trained on her. "She did not require that I dance in order to lie with her."

"Well then," Asrior said, growing so frustrated with him that her tongue got the better of her. "She was foolish indeed. I would have made you dance, all of the dances, every one of them."

"You would?" He sounded surprised.

"Yes, I would. And recite sonnets. And sing, actually."

"Sing?" Loki was still staring, but she was pleased to see he at least looked revolted at the prospect of serenading a woman in order to seduce her.

"Yes. Sing." Her voice was firm, and she warmed to the subject, for she found that she enjoyed seeing him disconcerted. "And because I am me, I think that I would have given you a cat to carry around—in a basket decorated with green ribbons to match your clothing. And you would have to pretend to like it and pet it, and feed it treats, and…"

She stopped, for though he still stared at her, his look was one of horror.

Unable to help herself, she snorted, "You should see your face."

"What?"

He looked so confounded that Asrior began to snicker. Trying desperately not to break into more peals of laughter, she managed, "I do not know what is more amusing—the thought of you carrying a cat around court and petting it, or the look on your face at the prospect of it."

But her amusement could not be stopped, for he finally realized that she was gaming. She held her hand against her stomach, biting her lips hard, for the confused look on his face had given way to one profound insult.

"You…" he breathed.

"I'm sorry," she began, gurgling, her eyes dancing. "Actually, I'm not, because you should really see your fa—"

His mouth stopped her words.

It took her a second to realize that the reason she was not laughing anymore was because Loki's lips were pressing hard against hers. And then understanding flooded her body along with a thousand other sensations. She felt lightheaded and jubilant and hungry and…

Her hands flew to his shoulders to cling, for she somehow knew that if she didn't hold on, she would fall to the floor—and Loki seemed to understand as well, for one of his hands was at the small of her back, pressing her against him. The other was at the back of her neck, tangled in her hair.

Asrior's body felt as though it was burning, and even though a part of her mind told her it was folly, she wanted to get closer to him. She wanted to feel his tongue again, so she pressed her body against his, opening her mouth. Loki's hand clutched her neck as she did so, tilting her head back, and when he answered her request, sliding the tip of his tongue against hers, she whimpered at the sensation.

The sound seemed to wake Loki from whatever held him in its grips, for he pulled away from her. Both of his hands moved to her arms, grasping them, and he was breathing hard.

His eyes were black, moving across her face. Asrior's own breathing was rough, and she wanted to ask him why he had kissed her. But as her mouth opened, his face turned dark.

Loki stepped away from her then, quickly, his hands dropping as though burned, and his expression turned to one so full of rage that she blanched.

He pushed a hand through his hair, his voice was rough as he snapped, "You need to go to the greenhouse. Hogun is waiting there."

She nodded, but her legs did not move. "Loki…."

"Go, Asrior."

He wasn't looking at her anymore, for he turned around to stare into nothing. His breathing was still sketchy, and his face was terrifying. But somehow, she knew that the sentiments raging within him were not directed at her.

So she nodded again, even though he could not see, and she croaked, "Very well." But she did not move, trying once again to get him to say something else. "Loki…"

"Go, Asrior. Now."

And then she almost ran from the room, now knowing if she wanted him to follow her or not.

* * *

And now for comments from last chapter's reviews. Thank you very much for letting me know how you liked the chapter. Feedback is always appreciated!

**Sephe**-I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Loki as messenger amused me. And the shift is where we enter a very interesting phase (as least for me to write about), because how will they react? ;) Thanks very much for letting me know your thoughts. Here's to me getting a little free time so I can update a bit quicker this time.

**Smocks**-Thank you very much for reading and for your kind words. I hope you did not find the wait for the next chapter too long, and that you enjoyed it.

**SissyPerigrin**-I'm glad it gave you a sunny glow! Thanks very much for giving feedback, it's great encouragement and very much appreciated!

**Vykrothe**-Yay! From Scandinavia! Thank you for reviewing, and honestly, I'm not sure where the patience to write this comes from. I am a horribly inpatient person sometimes. I suppose I just want this story to be as good as possible, which means as much I want certain things to happen NOW, they can't ;).

**Candy Flaps**-Loki's insecurity (for lack of a better word) around Asrior is cute (though he would turn anyone who dared call him cute into a bug probably). Loki will remember your advice, though…both of them have to take certain matters into their own hands. And that fifth columnist was going to make an appearance in this chapter, but it was just too long. They are still around, unfortunately. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**GreenLightEyes**-Thank you very much for reading and for reviewing! The Cuban's were probably out of place (especially after I saw Iron Man 3, where Tony doesn't even drink that I saw), but I kept them because I had to have poker with cigars (a personal thing b/c of a friend). But I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!

**Guest**-Thank you! I hope you liked the next update.

**Zippythewondersquirrel**-Thank you very much. As you can see from this chapter, Tony still doesn't (and probably will never fully) *like* Loki. He just can't. New York was too personal for him. But he kind of comes around a little maybe later ;).

**Sidlewild**-Here's more!

**amakitkat**-I stopped holding back, lol. Actually, they were a little hard to control this chapter. They'll get to more rather soon, actually. And something tells me that Asrior won't require things to be gentle as things, erm, progress. Thanks for reviewing!

**sweets1111**-Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Mr-Stark-21**-Thanks very much for your nice words about the last chapter. His own little star ;). It is very funny how Asrior's a little oblivious to the effect she has on her husband. She's going to figure things out, though, because the tension will be hard to ignore. And then what will she do?

**KuramaxChan**-Merci beaucoup! J'espère que vous avez apprécié leur temps sur Midgard, et comment les choses progressent maintenant qu'ils sont retournés à Asgard. Les pièces suivantes seront un plaisir à écrire. J'espère que vous apprécierez.

**Shelly**-Asgardian foreplay, FTW, lol. Thank you very much for your review. I love how everyone is protective as well, and…well, I think there will eventually be blood. And as much anger as you think Bruce or Thor would have, well…all I can say is, the more Loki gets to really see Asrior for who she is, the angrier *he* will get at her father. And thank you very much for the smut comment ;), that really made my day. But there will be smut. And rather soon, I think.

**London calling**-The monkeys! Asrior had to go to the zoo. And hurray for sexual tension! (because that can be fun to write). Thanks for your review, and I hope you liked their return to Asgard!

**HarryPotterFreakie**-LOL, it is like high school in a way. Especially given that Asrior has *no* experience to base things on. She's a good observer and saw a lot at court, but there's a big difference between seeing and having something happen to you yourself. Thanks for reviewing, and I sincerely hope you enjoyed this update.

**Audrey Storm**-Thank you. Very very much. I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

**jnotjane**-Thank you very much for reviewing! I think this chapter better explained Tony's motives. Sometimes character's motives aren't easily understood at first (though I try to make them understandable, if that makes sense, lol). Like Loki at the end here, his reasons for being so…so upset aren't so necessarily apparent right now, because we weren't in his head, but they will be *very* clear right at the start of the next update. And I hope you liked this last update!

**NoVacancyMind**-Sappy moments…*sigh*. And you want to know about their subconscious? Writing this last update was irritating as hell, because the two main characters would not behave. Seriously, they were all "look, we're back on Asgard without so many others hanging around, and we really just want to flirt—in our own not realizing it way, because we're being really stupid about all of this—but your plans for your story can take a hike because our bodies are way ahead of our minds and…" Yeah. It was like that. I got them under control, finally ;). Thanks very much for reading, and for the review. I hope you liked this chapter ;).

**MollyNK**-Thank you! Thank you very much for your kind words. I hope you got excited when you got the notification for this chapter, and that you enjoyed it. I'm having a lot of fun writing this part of the fic, and I really hope it's just as much fun to read.


	21. 20-Stupid acts, noblest intentions

A/N-As always, thanks for reviewing! And for reading :D. And following.  
I have to say that the reviews after the last update were just...spectacular, for a variety of reasons. First, an awesome new reader sent me the best fanart of Asrior. I've got a link from my profile (and its on tumblr). It is awesome, and thank you Kaitred very much (I'll try to link from here in a bit, but jaksdfjas;dklj fanfic dot net and their links don't want to work). Also, the best summation of this fic was given (a hulk of a feels cesspool), and I think it shall one day be a blog name. And so many of you brought up things that are either so close to happening or so close what will happen or actually happened this update, it was amazing.

One note, this is a frustrating chapter (just an fyi). Certain gods and elves are so close to understanding things but not quite there yet. Next chapter will...be a turning point. But in the meantime, I hope this one is worthy of reading ;).

In other words, the lemon, it is a coming. Or, as a reviewer said (to paraphrase), they'll be getting into a gdamned bed any day now.

Thanks to Jax Jesilaux for being my beta and getting this turned around so quickly!

OCs are mine, all else Marvel's.

* * *

**Chapter 20-Stupid acts and the noblest of intentions**

Thor was with the warriors in the antechamber behind the Royal Throne Room, as he'd said he would be. When Loki walked through the door that led from a small courtyard, his brother smiled in welcome.

Volstagg jumped at the sight of him, but Loki was too distracted to bother smirking. Too many other things weighed on his mind.

It was a most inconvenient moment to project himself. He wished he had more time between seeing Asrior and this encounter. But he'd been the one to arrange the meeting, so almost as soon as he'd torn himself away from his wife and sent her off to Hogun, he had to go to his workroom to come here.

He hadn't counted on seeing Asrior laughing so freely when he'd went in search of her, and he certainly hadn't planned on reacting to her teasing the way he had.

The rage afterward had been unexpected, too.

But he needed to talk to the others, so Loki forced himself to concentrate as he sat on the bench opposite Thor.

"Welcome, brother," Thor was saying, and though he still smiled, his eyes were regarding him with curiosity. "How are things at Okershall?"

"Uneventful," Loki said, trying to sound composed, "For the most part."

His hands were fisted, though. Thor noticed, eyeing them as he raised a brow. "And your wife? How is the Lady Asrior?"

"She is fine." The words were terse, despite his best efforts.

"Our king tells us that she can be quite contrary with you." Fandral either did not pick up on Loki's mood, or he did not care, for he was grinning. "Something in our dear God of Mischief's scintillating conversation tells me that he is finding married life to be most maddening."

Loki's carefully controlled expression almost slipped, for the warrior had no idea.

Sif grimaced at the talk of her sister, but the others paid her as little mind as they did Loki. Volstagg was picking something up from the plate balanced on his knee as he nudged her and chortled, "Perhaps Loki has come for our advice."

"Yes," Fandral said, stroking the hair at his chin. "Perhaps that is it. But which one of us can help? I can assist with the fine art of wooing, while Volstagg can offer advice on keeping a wife content after marriage…"

Volstagg, his mouth full, nodded and tried to grin.

Fandral continued, "Perhaps it is Thor who can help. Perhaps our God of Mischief must learn to balance rule of his lands along with rule of his wife…"

Frustrated with their mocking, Loki snapped, "I have come to discuss Valtur and nothing else."

Fandral's grin grew wider, causing Thor to frown at him and say, "Loki is right. Tis not time for play." When the blond warrior sighed and set his face into more serious lines, Thor asked, "What did you want to speak about, Loki?"

"I believe that I am close to understanding the kind of spell that Valtur has placed upon Jerrik's palace. We will need to be prepared to act soon."

Thor rubbed leaned forward, clasping his hands together as he regarded him. "Have you given more thought to your original strategy of luring Valtur to your lands?"

"I have. But if we find him at Jerrik's, we catch two foxes with our snare," Loki explained. "Possibly even more than two, for even more of our lords may plot with him against you."

And Asrior had suffered enough without him using her as bait for her father.

"That is a fair point," Fandral said, turning completely serious. "If the dark elves attack at Okershall, the lords of Asgard will not be so bold as to help, for their target is not your brother. They will plot in secret against you as long as they can."

"I cannot guarantee that the elves will hold off from Okershall, though," Loki added. "We must prepare for both possibilities."

"How close are you to breaking the spell?" Sif asked, her eyes fierce as she looked from Loki to his brother. "It is imperative that we know who of Asgard dares to plot against Thor. The dark elves are almost secondary to such treason…"

Volstagg interrupted, "But the dark elves attack Asgard! This is why the lower countries hold such distrust for us…"

Sif protested loudly, and the warriors began to argue among themselves.

Loki paid little attention to their quarrel, for Sif's words were echoing in his head.

_Almost secondary_.

There was a time when he would have agreed, for his loyalty to Asgard was certainly greater than his need for vengeance against the elves. But he could not forget Asrior as she'd looked earlier when she was laughing; when she had teased him.

No one teased him. At least, no one did so and got away with it without repercussion. Yet he not only allowed her to treat him so boldly, he found that he enjoyed it. He liked her when she acted bold. He liked so much about her that it sometimes surprised him.

Since she'd been at Okershall, the Asrior that had emerged from the shell she'd hidden in was breathtaking. She was more vibrant than anyone he'd ever known, radiating joy and decency and _life_. When she had laughed and baited him in the wake of her dance lesson, he'd been unable to stop himself from touching her in the most basic way possible. And as he'd kissed her, he'd felt her elemental radiance deep inside of him—in his blood and muscle and bones.

He did not know how he'd managed to pull away from her, he'd only known that he had to.

But when he wrenched himself away and looked down at Asrior, he'd been filled with a sudden and intense rage. She was a…a miracle, shining and caring and good, even with all that had been done to her. When Valtur had been given her to keep, he should have treasured her. He should have protected her. The fact that she'd been forced to hide her true self for fear of pain, that her own father had tried to break her—had been the one to _hurt_ her—filled Loki with a hatred so strong that it was as though Banner's monster was consuming him.

He wanted to make Valtur hurt. He wanted to make him _bleed_. He wanted to…

"Loki, you have not answered me."

Looking at Thor as though through a fog, Loki muttered, "What? The arguing distracted me."

The others were staring at him, but Loki found he did not care.

His brother's eyes were filled with concern as he said, "I was telling you that Queen Alflyse seeks an audience with me. I want you to come."

Something dark in him stirred, and when Loki answered, his voice was laced with steel. "Will he be there?"

"I cannot say," Thor admitted grimly. "I would not be surprised if he were. Alflyse will want to see Valtur's reaction while we are in his presence."

Loki leaned forward, elbow on knee and hand over mouth as he contemplated exactly what he would do.

"Will you come?"

"Of course I will," Loki answered immediately.

He could feel everyone's eyes on him still, and after a moment, Sif quietly spoke. "You seem unlike yourself Loki. This mood…"

"I am fine, Sif," he said, cutting her off. "I'm just… I am planning my next steps given how circumstances are changing."

"And what are your next steps?" She sounded impatient. "You need to share more with us. If you need our help, shouldn't we be aware of your thoughts?"

"I'm going to go with Thor to Svartalfheim, where we will have an audience with Queen Alflyse," Loki explained, standing and laying out his plans methodically. "While we are there, I will take measure of Valtur the Unmerciful and allow him to take measure of me. After, I will prepare to fight. And whether or not it takes place at Jerrik's or at Okershall, I will be ready."

"Ready to battle?" Thor asked, looking wary, for he seemed to sense the riotous undercurrents in his brother's demeanor.

Loki thought of Asrior laughing, and of her with her animals and with Hlin. Of her tending to the boulders of the dead, and how she looked at him with such pity when he'd called her efforts useless. He remembered her patience by the lake as she'd waited for Kagoq.

He thought of how she looked stealing fruit, small and alone, filled with such defiance when she noticed that he was watching.

He thought of her heart, and of her strength.

"I will be ready for the reckoning." Loki's words were all the more fearsome for the calm beneath the silken menace of his voice. He looked his brother in the eye, his promise a simple one. "I'm going to kill him."

"Loki…" Thor began, standing to glare at his brother. "We are going to capture Valtur. We have agreed to that course of action…"

The other two men were staring from one god to the other, and Sif, looking at Loki with concern, tried to reason with him. "We cannot take such action, not with Svartalfheim. The dark elves should face our justice, Loki. You yourself have said as much."

"Things have changed!" Loki's voice cracked as his mask fell for a moment, and he had to take a deep breath to rein in his anger. "You will understand in time."

Thor looked as though he were trying to control his own temper. "You are not yourself right now, brother. We should try to talk again when you can talk sense."

Loki, still breathing deeply, smirked in response. "Perhaps you are right. We will try this again tomorrow. And every day after if necessary."

He turned then, heading to the door to the courtyard. His mind would not change, but he needed to break the curse so that he could tell the others of Asrior's torture. And as he left, he heard Thor's voice "Tomorrow, brother."

….

"Where is Loki, anyway?" Hlin asked, looking over from one of the greenhouse's workbenches. "It is as though he has vanished."

Asrior, who was sitting across the room at the great glass windows, tending to seedlings, explained, "I believe he is meeting with Thor again, though he has been otherwise holed up in the library."

Indeed, she'd seen little of him since the day before, when he'd kissed her. She had wondered in the aftermath, when he'd sent her to Hogun, if their next meeting would be horribly awkward. She wasn't sure how to feel. A part of her had wanted to find him and beg him to repeat the experience, while another wanted to hide for fear that he would see things that she was not ready to admit, even to herself.

She wondered if he were similarly affected.

But when Loki had walked into the dining room for supper, he'd been quiet, but looked at ease. He'd politely explained that he had talked to Thor and was working on breaking the binding spells. His manner had been solicitous—inquiring of her afternoon and offering her first choice of the fruit and sweets she so loved.

Asrior had sat there, trying to act as normal as her husband, though it had been difficult. She kept finding herself staring at his hands, which were long and deft as he worked with his knife and fork. When she turned her attention to her own plate, the sound of his voice distracted her, for it was deep and the sound of it made her skin prickle. And she didn't dare look at him, for the one time she'd risked it, she'd been so taken by how green his eyes looked that Hlin had to ask a question twice, much to her horror.

In the end, she pushed the food around on her plate and stared at it. When Loki asked if she was tired, she'd quickly agreed and had gone upstairs. But she was not sleepy, so she'd sat on her bed and read.

Hlin, thankfully, arrived soon after she had changed into her nightgown and robe, bringing books that were much more interesting than the romances he thought she favored. As he sat on the settee to study a book on magic that Loki had given him, Asrior dove into a fantastical story of a seamstress that had been turned into a wolf by a sorcerer.

She eventually fell asleep, while Hlin still read. She did not wake until morning, but Loki was there, waiting for her to rise. He gave her tea and sweet rolls, explaining that he would be studying all day before meeting again with Thor. Asrior could do was stare dumbly at him, thinking how nice he looked and how disheveled she must appear. And when he smiled politely, looking at her with straightforward civility, she could only conclude that he was entirely unaffected by their kiss.

The thought was so depressing that when Hlin arrived and Loki made his leave, she'd been almost happy to see him go.

And now she had to sit in the greenhouse and listen to Hogun recount tales of his past life at court, many of which involved her husband.

The warrior was sitting near Hlin, carving on a piece of wood while the boy fashioned ties out of twine to use later when the winter flowers grew tall.

"It is hard to believe that he was such a trickster," Hlin was saying, referring to a story Hogun had just told. "I know he is the God of Mischief, but Loki is very serious now."

"Things have changed." Hogun's voice was low as he concentrated on the carving in his hands. "We have all changed. Thor more so than the rest of us, for he was as brash back then as Loki was a prankster."

"What do you mean, brash?" Hlin asked.

Asrior turned away from the two males and tried to concentrate on thinning out the flowers sprouting in their pots. Hlin and Hogun did not involve her overmuch in their conversation, and she was not sure she wanted to hear what they said.

"He was much quicker to fight then," Hogun recounted, sounding amused, "And much quicker to…erm…to play."

Hlin laughed. "You are speaking of women."

"Yes. Women," Hogun's voice was wry. "What do you know of such things?"

"Thor told me much when he was here. He told me about their celebrations after battles. He told us how Vatrenaetr is celebrated at court—one holiday in particular, when he attempted to lure goddesses from Fandral, and when Loki lured one from him."

Hogun's gruff laugh filled the greenhouse. "Yes, I remember that well. Thor was determined to attract the attention of… what was her name? She was…"

Like a child, Asrior was tempted to put her hands over her ears. Instead, she scowled and scooted further down her long row of seedlings, trying to ignore their words.

"Eadgyth or something similar, that was her name," Hogun said, remembering. "And your master, being who he was, was determined to attract her from Thor. If Thor had been less obvious, Loki would not have been so resolute, I think."

"Really?" Hlin sounded surprised. "He wanted her because Thor did?"

Viciously yanking at a sprout that had grown too straggly, Asrior briefly imagined herself throwing herself at the Asgardian king the next time she saw him if only to keep her husband's attention.

"Well, not only. She was a remarkable beauty, from what I recall." Hogun's voice was reminiscent.

"How so?"

"Well…she was very tall. Very impressively built, with a figure whose proportions rivaled Lorelei's…"

They seemed to have forgotten that she was in there. Asrior was torn between actually plugging her ears, or reminding them—loudly—that she was in the room.

"Her hair was like liquid chocolate, and her skin golden, like honey. And I have never seen lips so red. I swear they looked like ripest of berries…"

"She sounds lovely," Hlin said breathlessly. "It is no wonder that Thor and Loki desired her."

_She sounds sticky_, Asrior thought, meanly. _It is a wonder that Loki's bed was not crawling with ants when he was done with her_.

The thought of the god covered in insect bites cheered her immensely.

"But I should not be talking to you about his," Hogun was fussing at Hlin. "You are but a child."

"You forget that I am small for a Jotun. I am entering adulthood," Hlin said defensively, goading, "Thor told me many stories about their life at court. He did not act like an old misses around me."

"Well, in that case," Hogun said, a smile entering his voice, "I should tell you about the time a contingent of Amazon warriors visited court during the holiday…"

"Amazons?" Hlin interrupted. "You mean…"

The warrior chortled. "Yes. They were magnificent. Thor was especially keen to…"

As Hogun began describing in detail how the male warriors fought over the attentions of the oversized, golden-haired females, Asrior worked her way further down her row of potted plants. She dug furiously at the seedlings, trying her best to ignore their talk, especially when she heard her husband's name cross Hogun's lips.

She did not like how she felt, for this was worse than when she'd looked at the goddess Hallerna's perfection. When she was by the lakes, Asrior had thought that Loki had paid court the woman—he'd visited her and talked to her, gave her gifts and perhaps kissed her. She had thought he sought to marry her, and his attentions were supposed to be more formal. While she had thought about their courting with longing, she had not _burned_ as she did now, for the women at the royal court…

Her stomach clenched and her skin felt clammy as she thought of them. Loki had not offered them simple flattery or small tokens. He had lain with them and enjoyed them in a way that made her long to hit something at the mere thought of it.

The damned sticky goddess that he had taken from his brother had not had her nightdress pushed to her waist for a quick coupling. Loki had not turned from her as soon as he was finished, leaving her alone. No. He had been much more intimate with her He had touched her naked skin. Used his hands and mouth to seek and give pleasure. And she had been allowed to touch him in return, had been allowed to be a part of something that Asrior had been denied…

"Whatever are you doing?"

Loki's voice cut through her thoughts, and horror mixed with fury as Asrior looked down at the mangled seedling in her hand and then up into the green eyes of her husband.

"Nothing," she managed, her hands hastily shoving the little pot to the side before she pushed hurriedly to her feet. "I am just…tending to the seedlings."

Asrior imagined he had a skeptical look on his face, but she wasn't sure, for she could not look at him. Her eyes stared at his chest as she tried to get herself under control. Her face felt aflame and it was hard to breathe.

It was harder to shake her resentment. She suddenly hated the fact that she barely came to Loki's shoulder. She was small, her body petite, and her husband apparently enjoyed sexual favors from woman who were her opposite.

Asrior was equally angry at him, for though he had once called her worthy to look upon, he had never actually acted as though that were true. He had not sought to deepen their kiss the day before. He'd practically thrown her from him, had angrily sent her off to Hogun…

"Are you feeling well?" he asked, the words slow. "You seem…"

"I'm fine," she insisted, taking a deep breath as she forced herself to look at him. "What do you want?"

She sounded sullen, so Asrior tried to adopt a pleasant look on her face.

A sound from the workbench drew her glance for a moment, and she saw that Hlin was looking at her with surprise, as though he had indeed forgotten she was there. Hogun was looking at her as well, though his expression was veiled.

"I came to give you this," Loki said, his voice low so that only she could hear. He was looking at her with wary eyes, as though he understood that she was in a foul mood. And as Asrior looked at what he held in his arms, she tried valiantly to look normal, for the thought that he might guess her feelings was mortifying.

"What… what is this?" She asked, pleased that her voice sounded almost natural. He was holding a long box in his arms.

"It is for you," he said in answer. "It's from the royal city. It arrived not long ago."

Asrior watched as Loki looked around, his eyes finally alighting on small bench near the windows. He moved toward it, setting the box down, and as he bent to open it, he glanced at her. She was surprised, for his eyes filled with a flash of uncertainty before he moved them away.

And then she gasped, for he had pulled something long and beautiful from the box and held it out to her.

"But…" she began, for it was a cloak. And not just a cloak, but the most stunning garment she had ever seen. "But I have one…"

"I thought you needed another."

Asrior reached out for it, amazed. It was made of leaf green wool so soft that felt like velvet under her hands, and inside it was lined with something that looked like fur. Only it wasn't fur like she had ever seen before, for it was a brownish-green that slowly melted to a grass color and then to a deep and shimmering blue. And as she draped it over her arm and ran her fingers over the cloak's downy lining, she realized that it wasn't fur at all.

"These are feathers," she whispered, her eyes moving up to Loki's.

His voice was hesitant. "Yes. They are from a Peryton."

Asrior's breath caught in her throat, and the anger and frustration she had felt moments before seemed to vanish, replaced by something altogether different.

Loki was moving closer to her, lifting the cloak as he murmured, "You should try it on. I want to make sure the size is correct. I did not want it made too long…"

As he'd done when he'd given her Birgitta's necklace, Loki moved behind her. Asrior's skin was prickling again, and she found her stomach tightening as he carefully draped the cloak around her. Her hair was caught under the cloak's hood, but before she could move to pull it out, she felt her husband's hands at her neck, gently pulling it loose so that it fell down her back. Then his hands were on her shoulders, and he turned her around to face him.

"That looks about right," he said, glancing at the where the hem touched the top of her boots. And then his hands were at the cloak's clasp, fastening it. When he was finished, Asrior's hand reached up to touch it, and she saw that it was gold and shaped like a spray of flowers.

"This… this is beautiful," she whispered, her voice scratchy as she looked down at the clasp. "I don't know what to say. You shouldn't have done this."

Loki was staring at the spot on her chest where the arrow had struck, his eyes more serious than she had ever seen them. "I wanted to." When he raised his eyes to hers, they were like jewels. "You can wear your old cloak around the grounds if you'd like. But I thought you should have something untarnished."

Asrior just gazed at him, her eyes roaming over the sharp planes of his face. He lifted a hand, as though to touch the spot that bore the arrow's scar, but he paused. His hand hovered for a moment before moving to the cloak's front, and he touched the edge where Peryton feathers peeked out from the lining and then grasped the front, pulling it tighter around her.

"Loki…" Asrior breathed, not sure what she was going to say. But whatever words were on the tip of her tongue did not matter, for Hlin was beside her, exclaiming, "That is a fantastic cloak! It is much better than that old black thing you always wear."

His words jolted her from the trance she had been falling in, and Asrior looked at the boy, her brow raised. "That old black thing, as you call it, is very warm and useful."

"So is gruel, but I do not want to eat it every day," Hlin shot back, smirking.

Hogun was there as well, the grave lines of his face smoothing out as he looked at her. "You look beautiful, Asrior," he said simply.

Her cheeks warmed again, and she felt extraordinarily shy in the face of his compliment. Hogun had grown to be kind to her, but had not looked at her with such appreciation before. "Thank you. You are being very kind."

"Not kind. Honest," Hogun said, and he took her hand and raised it to his lips. "And I would be happy to escort you to see your ponies if you would like to take a walk and try out your new…"

"She is coming with me." Loki spoke over the warrior, his face twitching slightly. "I did come here simply to give her the cloak. There is something I would like to show her."

Asrior's back stiffened at the god's imperiousness, but he seemed to remember that she was there, for he turned to her. His voice was stiff, almost formal as he said, "Would you like to come for a walk with me? There is something that is new that you will want to see."

Before she could answer, Hlin made a knowing sound.

"What is it?" Asrior asked, curious, turning to the boy when Loki merely smiled.

"You will want to see it," Hlin assured her, his eyes turning almost misty. "And I'll come with you, for I…"

"You will go to check on the bonfire structure," Loki said, sounding haughty again. "Did you forget that you oversee its construction this year?"

Hlin looked as though he wanted to argue, but the warrior beside him put a hand on his arm, saying, "I will walk with you. I am most curious as to what the villagers are building this year, for this promises to be a most interesting holiday."

Huffing, Hlin nodded. "Very well."

Hogun gave Loki a slightly bow, and then smiled at Asrior. "I will see you again soon, my lady."

And as they walked away, Hlin looked over his shoulder, saying, "I helped! When you see it, I mean. Loki put me in charge of that too."

Asrior watched as the pair walked through the door that led to the stable yard, and when they were gone, she looked up at Loki. "He helped with what?"

"You'll see," he answered, distracted, for one of the cats that stayed in the greenhouse had wandered over and was weaving itself around Loki's boots. "Where is the rabbit?"

"Oh…we made a pen on the far side of the room. She would eat the seedlings otherwise."

She was about to bend to pick up the animal, but to her surprise, Loki gently pushed it away with his boot, asking, "What is this one's name?"

"He is Odd," Asrior answered, surprise filling her, for as soon as her husband pushed the black cat away, it returned and rubbed its head on his boot—and Loki simply stood there, watching it calmly. "His brother is Orr, but he is in the pen with Gnissa…"

"Gnissa? After the giantess?" Loki asked, sounding almost interested.

"Yes. Hogun says the rabbit will grow very large." Asrior's voice was faint, for Odd had rolled onto his back and was stretching a paw toward Loki, as though asking to play. And Loki was tapping the cat's paw with the tip of his boot. For a moment, she thought to ask her husband if he felt well.

But Loki was looking at her, saying, "Does this one need to be put into the pen before we leave?"

Asrior blinked. "No. He is fine roaming about here."

"Very well," Loki said, giving her the same calm expression he'd been wearing since he kissed her. After giving the cat's paw one more tap, he moved toward the greenhouse's back door, turning his head slightly to look at Asrior. "Let us go, then."

Taking a deep breath as she wondered what had gotten into her husband, she followed him. "Where are we going?"

"To the boulders." He held the door to the outside open for her, saying nothing more.

Asrior slipped past him, looking at him with surprise. "Whatever for?"

Loki closed the door and fell into step beside her. He lifted a shoulder and said, "You will see."

And as though he sought to distract her, he began telling her about other animals that liked near Okershall. They were down the hill when he began to tell her of the white stags that were most sought after during the winter hunting season.

"Do you hunt?" she asked, glancing up at him and pulling her cloak more tightly around her. The air had grown quite cold with the approaching winter, and she was amazed at Loki's ability to withstand the change in temperature.

"Sometimes," he said, smiling down at her, the look in his eyes almost wolfish, "Though not as often as I would like. Duty gives me little free time."

She could imagine that he would enjoy the process of the hunt, the give and take of it as he stalked and took his prey. The thought of it send a shiver down her spine that was not at all unpleasant.

Asrior shook herself mentally, trying to take hold of her thoughts. She needed to stop herself from delving into lustful feelings, she told herself, especially when her husband acted so completely unaffected by her presence.

"Do you mind?" Loki was asking, and she saw that he looked curious. "Hunting, I mean…given your love of animals."

"I have never hunted myself," she answered. And thinking of the people around Okershall that she'd met, added, "But I understand how hunting can be necessary to eat. So long as an animal is killed for a useful purpose rather than killed merely for sport, I have no issue with it."

Loki was nodding, his eyes thoughtful. Asrior saw that they were nearing the boulders, and as they approached, she looked at the god next to her with a question in her eyes. "Why did you bring me here? Can you tell me now?"

His face turned inscrutable. "Just…follow me."

He walked forward, not saying anything more.

Asrior followed, her heart beginning to skip a little as she wondered what he was doing. Loki simply weaved through the boulders, though, and though she tried to read something in his face, his expression remained veiled. But she saw that they were nearing the large boulder that bore only two names, and when Loki paused and turned to look at her, her heart seemed to stop.

"Why are we at this one?" she whispered, gazing at Vedis' name and the babe's. "I don't… I don't understand."

"Here." She felt Loki's hand take hers, and he pulled her slowly around to the other side. "This is why I brought you here."

Asrior looked at him in confusion. He was staring at the boulder, and she followed his gaze and saw that a third name had been carved on the rock's surface.

_Birgitta of Asgard_

The name blurred as tears filled Asrior's eyes. And as the hand on hers tightened, Loki quietly explained, "I know that she was not of Ringsfjord, but your mother died protecting an Asgardian while under attack. I thought… I thought you might like to have a place to visit. To remember her, since you seem to hold such with such sentiment."

It was hard to move, and speech was certainly impossible.

Loki seemed to be worried about her reaction, though, for he spoke again, sounding almost anxious. "I remembered that your mother liked red as much as Sif. I wasn't sure what flowers she would like, but Hlin visited Nessa and asked her advice on what to plant. There is wood rose and thistle…"

His words cut off, though, for Asrior turned and launched herself at him, her arms wrapping around his waist. She buried her face against his chest, trying to hold back tears, though her voice was choked when she managed a rough, "Thank you."

She felt his arms move around her, holding her in an almost tentative embrace, and Loki sounded reassured as he asked, "You like it, then?"

Asrior nodded against him, her arms tightening further. After a moment, Loki lifted a hand, and she felt it against her hair. "I am glad."

Tears escaped against her will, and she pulled back a little, moving one of her hands to scrub at her face. "You say that you are not kind, but you are, Loki. You are very kind to me."

He did not say anything at first, choosing to simply stare at her. But after a moment he lifted a shoulder and said, almost grudgingly, "Perhaps I can be so to those who deserve kindness."

Loki's voice was low and a bit rough, and as he spoke, his hand fell from her hair. He stepped back a little as well, so that Asrior's other arm slid from his waist.

She was keenly aware of the fact that she was no longer pressed against him. He was looking at her with a gentleness that made her stomach flutter, but he was also holding himself back from her, as though he did not want him to touch her. She desperately wanted him to do so.

"Do you think I deserve kindness?" she asked, her voice gruff as she tried to hold back her tears.

And when he answered, "Yes," Asrior just gazed at him and remembered what it felt like to lean against his body. She wanted to tell him that if he really wanted to be nice, he could kindly touch her again—and that it should be more than a hug. And please more than just a…a minimum of a kiss. His gifts were nice, as were his words, but she wanted more than that. She wanted…

"Hlin! Wait…"

The shouted words had Asrior's head jerking around, and once again that day, Hlin broke her from the daze she was in. She saw him moving quickly through the boulders, his face excited, while an exasperated Hogun trailed after him.

As the boy neared, Loki stepped further away from her, his face shuttering. Asrior wanted to stamp her feet in frustration.

Hlin was breathing hard as he neared, as though he'd been running. He looked completely unaware that Asrior did not welcome his presence, for he was smiling broadly as he huffed, "I'm sorry, I could not wait. I wanted to see you here. It was hard to keep this a secret."

Asrior could not help but smile, for his face was filled with enthusiasm. As her vexation at his sudden appearance faded, she said, "This was a great surprise. Thank you for doing this for me, Hlin."

He looked bashful as he admitted, "It was Master Loki's idea. I merely helped."

Hogun gave Asrior an apologetic look, for he had noticed the dried tears on her face. "I'm sorry I could not keep him away longer."

Loki grunted, but Hlin defended himself, "There was nothing to do at the bonfire. The men from the village have it entirely in hand. And I wanted to come here to see Asrior's reaction."

"Next time you are given a task, you will give it your full attention," Loki muttered, his face stern.

"I did well enough here." Hlin looked mutinous, and Asrior threw her husband a repressive look.

"You worked very hard here," Loki agreed, looking slightly less harsh than before. "But you need to be more patient, Hlin. And you need to show as much care for tasks that you are not personally invested in. I know the villagers are adept at building the bonfire structure, but I depend upon you to be my eyes and ears when I am occupied with other estate dealings."

Hlin looked slightly abashed, muttering, "Yes, my lord."

Hogun took his leave then, bowing slightly as he said, "One of the men working on the structure mentioned a sick horse. I should visit his farm while it is still light."

And as the warrior left the boulders and walked toward the woods, Asrior nudged Hlin's shoulder and began to walk as well, motioning for him to follow her as she moved toward the castle.

"You did beautifully here," she assured him, her voice gentle. "It was a great surprise, seeing my mother's name here with the other honored fallen."

"I am very glad that you like it. You have no idea how many times I almost said something."

She grinned at his earnest confession, saying, "Loki told me that you planted flowers, too. And that you spoke to Nessa. All of you have been keeping secrets."

Hlin's face was bright. "Yes. Nessa gave me quite a few seeds to sew, and not just near your mother's name. I tended to other places that were not yet planted. It will be beautiful here once the snows melt. I cannot wait to see it."

Loki was walking with them, and at the mention of the coming spring, he paused and said, "Hlin, run up to the castle. Hogun's words about the horse reminded me that the large wood lathe that Ulvgeir needed should have arrived in the village. The two of you should collect it and bring it back before night falls."

The boy nodded, saying, "Yes, my lord." And he gave Asrior a cheery wave as he darted off.

But her own mood was growing darker again, for Loki had turned his gaze to her, and his eyes were serious.

She watched him for a moment, finally saying, "You are wondering if I will even be here when the snows melt."

Loki frowned and began to walk again, not answering her statement directly. "These past days, I have been talking to Thor about my attempts to break Valtur's binding spell. I feel that I am very close."

"And when it is broken, you will attack him?"

"If we find him at Jerrik's, yes," Loki admitted, looking down at her, his face set in harsh lines. "He must be dealt with if I am to be assured of your safety."

Her heart clutched at that, but if fell almost immediately, for he continued, "We must all prepare for what is to come. You must decide what you wish to do when this is all over."

Asrior tried not to scowl, and she found her steps quickening, as though to run away from him. "You mean, when I am free to leave here. You keep mentioning it."

He did not speak at first, though when he did, Loki sounded surly. "If that is how you wish to refer to it."

"And if that is not what I wish?" she asked, wanting to goad him into telling her of his own feelings. "What then?"

"Then you can stay here," he gritted impatiently, "I think I have been very clear on the matter. I only ask that you consider your choice carefully."

"You have been very clear, that is true," she said, her voice growing offended at his curt tone. "Yet still, I seek your opinion, if I am to fully consider my options."

_Please tell me that you would like me to stay._

"I have told you. It is your choice." He looked thunderous. "You are usually so free with your own opinions that I am shocked at your reticence now. Just tell me what you want, and I will do it."

She wanted to shout at him, to ask why he insisted on being so…so _kind_ to her in one instant yet refused to touch her in the next. Why he had carved her mother's name in a place of permanence at Okershall and almost immediately spoke of her being allowed to leave.

Instead she scowled. "Perhaps I seek your opinion so that I do the opposite!"

And as she stalked ahead of him, she heard Loki from behind her muttering, "Do not act like a child…"

"It would serve you right if I stayed here, if only to ensure that the remainder of your days are spent in the discomfort of my company!" she bit out over her shoulder.

They were rounding the curtain wall, and Asrior's breathing was hitched. She half hoped that he thought it was because of how she rushed toward the castle, though the other part of her didn't care. She didn't know what she wanted more, to hit him or run as fast as she could…

But as she rounded the corner of the wall, she was met with the sight of Hlin and Ulvgeir trying to round up Gnissa, who had escaped from the greenhouse.

"What…" she began, her feet moving in earnest toward the men and her rabbit. "What is going on…How did she get out?"

The animal was scampering toward an empty hay cart. Hlin stopped his pursuit and gave Asrior a wary look as he said, "The… the door was left open."

Asrior moved to kneel by the cart, where the rabbit was cowering. And almost as soon as she began making soft sounds to attract her pet, she paused, "The door? But she was in her pen."

Something in the silence that followed had her looking over her shoulder.

"What is going on?" Loki asked, his boots thudding to a standstill beside her.

Hlin sounded distraught. "Someone went into the greenhouse…"

When his voice trailed off, Asrior pushed to stand, feeling ill. "What is it?" Her voice was hushed, and a horrible knot of fear took over her stomach. "Where are Odd and Orr?"

"They're okay," Hlin said hastily, then grimaced. "At least, I have seen Orr. He ran into the stables."

"But Odd?"

Asrior felt faint as she asked the question, and as Loki turned on his heel, a low growl issuing from his throat, she turned to follow him to the greenhouse.

She could hear Hlin behind her, asking Ulvgeir to get the rabbit, and then he was behind her, saying, "It is not the animals. I'm sure Odd is all right. He must have escaped as well."

Loki was pushing into the greenhouse, Asrior right behind him, and as she stepped through, a gasp escaped her throat.

The room was in shambles. The seedling pots were pushed over; their dirt dumped onto the floor and thin stalks snapped. Empty pots lay smashed around the room, and the bushes and trees she had been tending had been viciously hacked.

"No…" Asrior moved toward the peach trees, shock filling her at the sight of their mangled and broken branches. "Who… who would do this?"

Her husband turned to look at her, his face grim. "Do you need to ask?"

"I know," she whispered, close to tears as she neared the trees she had been nursing to health for Kagoq. "But _who_?"

"Someone very bold," Hlin whispered from just inside the door. His eyes were wide as he gazed at her. "And they have access to the castle."

"They will not feel so bold when I find them," Loki promised, bending to move a bench upright. His face was so cold that Asrior shivered.

A muffled sound from Hlin had her turning to where he had moved, near the long windows. He was looking up, and he sounded relieved as he said, "I have found Odd."

Both Asrior and Loki moved to where the boy stood, and Hlin pointed to the thin black cat clinging to a sill that sat between the top of one of the windows and the greenhouse's sloping ceiling.

"Oh…" Asrior felt lightheaded at the sight of him. "There you are!"

Hlin began to ask the cat to jump down, but Loki gently pushed the boy to the side, murmuring, "Let me try." And he moved a bench over and stood on it, reaching up for the animal.

Asrior watched with wide eyes, for Loki was talking calmly to Odd, assuring the animal that it was safe to return from its hiding place. And just as Ulvgeir pushed into the greenhouse, a cat clutched in one hand and a rabbit in the other, Odd moved and allowed the god to pluck him from the sill.

"Here we go," Loki said, holding the cat awkwardly against him as he turned and stepped down. And despite the fact that he still seethed with anger, the eyes he turned to Asrior were kind. "Between Ulvgeir and I, we have restored your pets to you."

Asrior reached to take the scrawny black cat from her husband, and after giving him a thankful smile, she began fussing over the animal, saying, "You are coming upstairs with me tonight, young man. No more greenhouse for you and your friends."

Loki, giving a great sigh, asked, "Am I to share the settee with more cats, or will you bring bedding for them?"

A smirk lit her face at the mention of the settee, for that morning Sazur had snuck into her room to sit beside Loki as he watched over her. And as she looked at her husband, Asrior realized that her earlier anger was fading. The constant tumult of emotion was quite wearing.

"Bedding, I think, for space on the settee is growing thin," Asrior murmured. "And I fear that if it came to a contest between you that the cats would win."

Instead of giving her a mocking remark in return, Loki reached to take Orr from the coachman. And he tucked the animal under an arm, reaching for the rabbit as well, saying, "Only if you discount my magic. It is a good thing for your pets that I restrain myself, if only out of fear of your tongue, elf."

Hlin laughed, but Asrior sniffed and lifted her chin, as confused at her husband's shifting moods as she was over her own. "You talk very much for someone who actually does so little."

She swept from the room, but not before she heard the half-laugh, half-snarl that Loki spat out behind her.

….

Hlin sat at Hogun's long wooden table, watching as the warrior rubbed ointment onto the goat's foot.

"What is that for?" he asked, listening as the animal bleated. "That thing has been here for ages."

"This is a goat, not a thing," Hogun said calmly, "And his hoof was almost shorn from his leg. He is lucky to still be possessed of it."

The boy pursed his lips and watched as the man stood from his chair and carried the animal carefully to the spot near the fireplace where Asrior sat, reading. He placed the goat on the old blanket that lay at her feet, and it nestled into the old wood, closing its eyes.

"Do you need anything, Asrior? More tea?" Hogun asked, and Asrior looked up from her reading, shaking her head and smiling slightly.

With a nod, the warrior moved back to the table, motioning with Hlin to follow him. "Come help."

Asrior did not look up from her book as they moved from the great room. Once the males were in the cottage's tiny kitchen, Hogun gave Hlin a questioning look, and with a lowered voice asked, "What is wrong with her?"

Hlin's face fell into glum lines. "She has been melancholy since the greenhouse was ransacked."

Hogun nodded, his brow knit as he thought. "Perhaps she needs time to recover from the shock of it. After all, there was a lull between her attack in the woods and this."

Grunting, Hlin watched as Hogun pulled a pot down from a cabinet. "That is true. But you have no idea what torture it is being around them these past few days."

The warrior lifted a brow. "Them?"

"Yes. She is very moody with Loki, worse than when she first arrived here, and he is taking it out on the rest of us."

"What do you mean?"

"Loki is…he is bending over backwards to be polite to her since the greenhouse," Hlin whispered, "But the more courteous he gets, the worse her temper. And as soon as she is out of sight, he snarls at me as though her mood is my fault."

Hogun did not say anything, though his face grew thoughtful.

"What?" Hlin asked, watching him.

"Nothing." The warrior picked up the pot and moved back into the great room, saying more loudly, "Fetch the cabbages from the sink, if you will Hlin."

The boy rolled his eyes and turned to the sink, and when he returned to the table where Hogun sat with the pot, he saw that Asrior was still focused on her book.

As he handed the vegetables to the warrior, Hlin watched her and asked, "Do you like the book, Asrior?"

She finally looked over at him, though only for a moment. "Yes," she told him, giving him a quick smile. "The poems are quite lovely. Thank you for giving it to me."

When she turned back to the book, Hlin wondered if her answer would have been the same if she knew who had chosen the book. And unable to help himself, he said, "I will be sure to tell Loki. He thought you would enjoy the sonnets."

He did his best to keep his expression free of guile, though he almost grinned when he saw how Asrior's back stiffened.

Hogun noticed as well, for his voice was almost too-innocent as he asked, "What is the book?"

Asrior did not look at them as she answered, "It is from Midgard. From a poet called Shakespeare."

She stopped reading then, turning her face toward the fire. Hogun gave Hlin a quick look before causally saying, "Loki must have a high regard for the poet's work, given his disdain for Midgardians."

"Or he has so little regard for my taste that he does not care of the book's origins," Asrior muttered churlishly.

Hlin sighed and gave Hogun a weary look, but the warrior, to his surprise, was trying not to grin.

"But what do you think of the book?" Hogun asked, pulling cabbages toward him as well as a knife. "Do you find it worthy of your time?"

She did not answer at first, and for several moments the only sound in the room was of Hogun's knife slicing the cabbages on the wood of the table.

"I am pleased with the book," she finally muttered, looking so aggrieved that Hlin could not contain himself any longer.

"What is wrong with you?" he asked bluntly. When she turned shocked eyes to his, he grated, "You have been abominable for days now."

Hlin almost expected Asrior to deny it, but she surprised him by slumping in the chair and sighing. And her face grew glum as she said, "I wish I had someone to talk to."

Offended at her admission, Hlin snapped, "What do I look like? Furniture?"

Hogun gave him a warning look even as Asrior turned apologetic eyes to his. "Do not be hurt. I simply meant… I wish there was someone like Pepper to talk to here. Or… or my mother. Someone with more experience, Hlin. I need advice."

"Loki has experience, as does Hogun," Hlin offered, trying to be helpful. He hated seeing her distressed. "What kind of advice do you seek?"

Her face grew rigid, and she turned back to the fire. "I have already asked your master for his opinion, but he refuses to give it."

"His opinion on what?" Hlin asked, trying to understand what she wanted.

But she did not answer, only muttering, "It is nothing."

Hogun began piling the cut pieces of cabbage into the pot, and though his attention seemed to be on his task, he had half an eye on the woman by the fire.

"I have known Loki a very long time," the warrior mused, "And I have found over the centuries that one is as wont to strangle him as to laugh with him."

As Asrior grunted, and Hlin folded his arms on the table, putting his chin on them, muttering, "I can say that for many this week."

But Hogun ignored him, moving to chop more cabbages. "It takes time understanding him, and even when one does so, it is easy to forget."

"Forget what?" Hlin's voice was muffled against his arms.

"That his words are, more than not, a mask. When he jokes, it is to hide deeper feelings. When he plays tricks, there is usually a hidden meaning behind it. With him, one has to step back and look at what he does or what is happening to fully understand his motives. Words alone are not the measure of our God of Lies and Mischief."

Hogun was watching Asrior as he spoke, and Hlin saw that she though was looking at the book in her hands, her eyes were glazed as though in deep thought.

When the warrior opened his mouth again, there was a quick knock at the door before it was pushed open. Hlin's head flew up as Loki strode into the room, and Hogun turned as well.

"Ah. Good afternoon, my lord," the warrior said, his expression so relaxed that it was difficult to imagine he'd just been speaking about the god who stood just inside the door. "You are finished in the village?"

"Yes," Loki muttered, moving to the table. "What is this?"

Hogun shrugged. "I am making a medicinal mash for Kar Ognson's horse. The animal is still here with me." And he pushed from the table and strode to his cabinet of herbs. "Hlin has been helping while Asrior reads."

Loki strode across the room, stopping near where Asrior sat. As he neared, she seemed to stiffen even further.

"You have a new book?" he asked, acting as though he the sight of it was new to him.

Hlin gave Hogun a quick look, but the warrior gave no notice that he was listening, for he was buried deep in his cabinet, pushing bottles and jars around.

Asrior looked up at her husband, and she kept her voice cool, not admitting that she knew he had chosen it. "Yes. Hlin gave it to me this morning. It is a book of sonnets from Midgard."

"Are you enjoying it?"

"Yes." Her expression slipped for just a moment, and she cast confused eyes at the book as she held it. "These sonnets… they are quite different than sonnets I have read before."

"Really?" Loki's curiosity sounded genuine, "How so?"

Again, Hlin tried to catch Hogun's eye, but he was buried in a large jar of something green and leafy.

"They are more complex than Asgardian sonnets," Asrior said, her eyes still focused on the book. "They speak profoundly of love's power, but also of…of uncontrollable urges. Of loneliness. The emotion is not always simple."

Loki linked his hands behind his back. "If there is one thing Midgardians mastered, it is capturing the complexity of sentiment with words," he mused, his voice very low. "Emotions are never simple."

And then he turned, looking at Hogun, who had turned from the cabinet to walk to the table.

"Can you help me?" Hogun asked, looking at both Hlin and the god. "I need to build a large fire outside, for the mash."

"Of course," Loki answered, moving toward him. "But can I ask for a bit of liatrus before we go?"

The warrior moved to the cabinet again, and Hlin rose from the table, moving to the door. And as the trio walked outside, Hogun handed Loki a package that the god pocketed.

They did not say anything, but moved instead to the woodpile near the outbuilding fence. Within minutes, logs were piled in a fire pit between the cottage and woods, and Loki moved a hand, watching as flames began to creep though the wood.

As they stood and watched the fire burn hotter, Hogun turned to Loki, and nodding at the pocket that now housed the package of herbs, said, "You are trying again to break the spell?"

Loki, staring at the fire, grunted in answer.

Hogun turned to the logs as well. "I will fight with you against Valutr, when the time comes."

Hlin wanted to ask questions, but remained silent. Something in Hogun's stance told him it was important to allow the two older men to talk without interruption.

"You find your thirst for vengeance returning?" Loki asked, his voice low, "Despite your promise to Thor?"

Lifting a shoulder, the warrior explained, "I somehow think Thor will understand when all is done."

Loki turned to look at him then, a brow rose, "When all is done?"

Hogun's face was set in familiar grim lines, and the look he gave the god next to him was hard to read. "Yes. When Valtur the Unmerciful is captured. Or killed."

"What will happen then?" Loki's face was just as veiled, but his hands, Hlin saw, were flexing at his side.

"You will want to ensure that Asrior is treated honorably. You also understand, I think, that she now sees Okershall as her home." The stern look on Hogun's face relaxed slightly. "You should be aware that…if you are thinking to nobly remain her husband, that such a sacrifice is not necessary. Asrior's choices will not be so restricted to marriage to you or having to leave here."

His eyes narrowing, Loki said, "What do you mean? You… you will offer to marry her should we divorce? Valtur's daughter?"

Hogun was looking at the fire again, his voice fierce as he answered, "I would be proud to take her as my wife."

Loki's face twitched. "But would she would have you?"

"I do not know her mind or her heart. But Asrior will have another choice to stay in this place that she so loves, and my offer will not be made because I simply seek to treat her fairly." He looked at Loki, his eyes reassuring him. "I know that you would stay married to her without complaint, but you may, in the end, have your freedom once more."

The expression on Loki's face grew so ferocious that Hlin stepped backwards. And though he expected his master to say something, the god instead turned and stalked away from the fire, moving to where Falhofnir stood waiting.

Hogun watched as Loki mounted the great horse, his face grim again. But when the god rode off without a word, he turned to look at Hlin, a satisfied smirk on his face.

"What was that about?" Hlin asked, sounding almost accusing, but the warrior merely turned to walk to the cottage.

"I need to get the pot," he said in answer.

"But you do not want to marry Asrior!" Hlin exclaimed, following him. "At least, you will not marry her and stay here. You have said you will go back to the city soon, back with Fandral and Volstagg…"

"Yes." Hogun paused, and looked down, smiling. "But Loki does not know that."

Hlin shook his head. "So…why did you say that just now?"

"Because…" The warrior put a hand on the cottage's doorknob, his face reflective. "Your master once caused complications for me. His…interference may have strengthened my resolve at the time, but not before it caused me a great deal of uncertainty and…and fear."

Then Hogun's face split into a grin so unlike him that Hlin blinked.

"What are you doing, Hogun?"

"Making sure Loki does not do something stupid because he has suddenly decided that he has a noble streak in him." With an extremely satisfied look, the warrior pushed open the door and chortled, "And I am returning a favor from long ago. Allow me this moment, for it was a long time in coming."

* * *

I promise, I promise, I promise, the tension/frustration will end *soon*!

And, comments:

**SissyPerigrin**-OMG, Loki can be a drama queen (or a diva, like Tony said). I think the answer to why he kissed her was in the this update (he'd had enough of her awesomeness and couldn't help himself or something like that). He's probably in heat, too ;). Thanks for reviewing!

**Hot Toddy Scotty**-thanks for the truly amazing review. I've never laughed so much, or nodded in agreement, because, as I said above, this IS a Hulk of a feels cesspool, so thank you for summing it up. Thank you also for the 'elf mutt' (lolololol) and the rest of your kind and very funny summation of your reading experience. AND, they'll be getting into a goddammed bed pretty quickly…if not to prevent your cerebral hemorrhaging, then to avoid my fictional characters jumping out of my laptop and beating the crap out of me for putting them through any more unresolved sexual tension crap (and they've had just about enough).

**Fat Old Sun**–thank you very much for reviewing, and I'm pleased you found it amusing. Perhaps Loki will get his shit together now that Hogun has given him something to think about…or perhaps Asrior will take Hogun's words to heart and start to *think* and not just feel (offended!) all the time.

**vykrothe **–you don't need to say anything else! You had me at AE9T0UE094TUH! Thanks for the review :D. Here's to more emotions effing with you etc.

**Mr-Stark-21**–As always, thank you! Speechless? :D. Yours is one of the reviews that made me grin because you're writing about things that you think might happen and that I KNOW will happen, only I know details and can't wait for you to read them later…and can't spoil too much. LOL, does that make sense? Vatrnaetr will be, erm, special. Dancing plays a part. I can't say anything else though. I just hope you enjoyed this update and those upcoming ;) .

**Candy flaps **–as above, you are thinking about things that I could talk more about but can't spoil. There's not a lute or codpiece, but there is *something* that I just…can't…say. But I hope you like it when it happens. I hope you liked this update! And thanks for reviewing.

**Shelly **–The Elf Whisperer? *dies* OH how awesome the reviews were this time. They're always awesome, but so many things made be laugh this week. GAH, Vatrnaetr awaits, and I am not telling you too much. It will be memorable, and it's not too much to say that much, because I've been pretty obvious with the foreshadowing, lol. Just no details yet. It's not wrong about the toenails, either. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked this last little bit of elves and gods being dumb.

**Kaitred**-First, thank you very very much for the review. I love hearing from all readers, but that first note from someone who just found the story is…it's just great. Second, THANK YOU for your picture of Asrior. It's the first fanfic art I've ever gotten, so it's very special And I like your interpretation of her, especially her eyes and hair ;). Thank you very much for your nice review, and I hope you liked this latest addition of flustered Loki (who, as you can see from this update, *does* appreciate Asrior). And his appreciation will only grow, I can say that much.

**HarryPotterFreakie **–OMG, they are like awkward middle schoolers. But Asrior has no experience with men whatsoever, and Loki doesn't have a ton of experience with romantic emotions (emotions, yes, but he's never been the best at handling those, has he?). Thanks for your review, and I hope you liked this update. Just wait, more cats and Loki are coming up, too.

**hfjgjkd**-I think you are very smart ;). Your prediction is…not exactly what will happen, but…I really can't say too much. Just… just know that just because certain people finally admit certain things or kiss or do more, there's still much to be resolved. I think you'll like it. I really hope so! Thanks for your very kind words, and I hope you enjoyed this update!

**London calling **–Thanks very much for your review! Very romantic, though Asrior needs to take Hogun's advice and *think and look* instead of just hearing words and going off ;lsdkfj;as She's learning ;). I hope you liked this update!

**Amakitkat **–thanks as always, for your review. Yes, Loki was being a sweetheart, but also ruined the mood. He is, as the chapter title says, doing stupid things with the best and noblest of intentions. He'll…stop, and soon. Screw noble, lol. I hope you liked this updat

**Guest **–Yes, yay for kissing! I'm so happy you liked the last update. I hope you liked this one. I hope the answer to his stopping was somewhat in this update. Loki is being very (and wrongly) noble. He thinks Asrior needs to choose him without pressure from him. He hasn't really thought about how his *lack* of certain words/kissing/etc. comes across to her (because she's very naïve when it comes to men, right?). Both of them start to figure things out. Soon. And then, you'll see what happens. Thanks for your review!

**KuramaxChan**-Merci beaucoup. J'espère que vous avez apprécié ce chapitre! Faites-moi savoir ce que vous pensez, car je jouis toujours de vous entendre :D !

**CallMeKia**-Thank you very very much for your review. It means a *lot* to know that you are enjoying the pace of the story and the character development. And I'm glad you squealed, :D. Things won't happen too soon (though they won't drag on much longer *at all*). But rest assured, nothing will be solved with a simple kiss or even a good old-fashioned getting into a gdamned bed together ;). Even when sexual tensions are resolved, there will be a bit more emotional hoo ha to deal with. I hope you enjoyed this update, and happy squealing !

**NoVacancyMind**-Thank you ! Tear ! YES ! Your review made me very happy. I imagined your screaming and hope to have more of it in future udpates. Loki and Asrior both need to wake up over things, though I think a certain grim warrior just helped them. Thanks again, very much.

**Jnotjane**-I'm so glad you liked it ! And you are so so so very very very right about Asrior needing to take the reins. Even with Loki realizing that he needs to do a few more obvious things, the little elf will probably be the one to, erm, spur things in motion. I hope you enjoyed this update, and here's to the next one ! Thanks for your review, I really do appreicate it.

**Sweets1111**-thank you for the review, and I am very glad you liked the fact that they *finally* kissed. Not too much longer to go before they get down to more exciting business ;).


	22. Chapter 21-Holly and fir

A/N-Thanks for reviewing and reading and following! Your enthusiasm really makes it fun to write. I really wanted to post this sooner, but Loki was being a huge pain in the rear. He got over it.

This chapter ends a little sooner than I'd planned (it would have ended a few minutes later, in the castle), but it just wasn't right...but I'm sad, because the start of the next chapter (which was going to be the end of this) is one of my favorite parts. Ahhhh, a few more days, for I think this next update will be somewhat easier to write.

Thanks for Jax Jesilaux for doing a ton of editing in a day as I *finally* got Loki to cooperate.

Edited to add: ARGH, I meant to put this up but was too damn rushed to get the update up. I've got more art to share, from **Mr-Stark-21**, this time a most awesomely fantastic image of Okershall (very much as I imagine it!) along with Hlin and Hogun! (and Loki and Asrior too). It's on tumblr, tigermcqueen dot tumblr dot com . A direct link is i1316 dot photobucket dot com / albums / t601 / TigerMcQueen / okershall_zps1d0423ae dot jpg (shakes fist at fanfic dot net and how I can't post direct links).

OCs are mine, all else Marvel's.

* * *

**Chapter 21-Holly and fir**

Time.

If he were powerful enough to freeze time, Loki thought that he might not be in this sad state. He would not be sitting at his desk, secreting looks at his wife while he pretended to work. He would have had more of a chance to stop and think before being thrust into a room alone with her. He would certainly have had the chance to consider the conflict raging inside of him since visiting Hogun's cottage.

He needed to tell her that he would be taking a portal to Svartalfheim. He should let her know that he would likely see her father. But all he could do was think about Hogun's words.

_You may, in the end, have your freedom once more._

The one thing Loki had not done since the moment he saw Asrior's scars was think about his own inclinations. His offer to stay married to her was sincere, but at the time, had been given as a means of maintaining his own integrity—for as many crimes he had committed, his reformation, such as it was, had been hard-won. Because of that, he was extremely aware with how his actions reflected on him.

To cast Asrior to the side after everything that had been done to her—after what he had done both knowingly and without thinking—was unconscionable. It was only right that he give her what protection he could provide through his name. She deserved nothing less. His feelings were secondary.

And now Hogun gave him a way out, for a union between one of Thor's most trusted warriors and Valtur's daughter would keep Asrior's honor intact as well as Loki's.

Instead of giving him relief, the thought that he might be _free_, as Hogun had called it, did nothing to comfort him. When he thought to understand why the scenario offered little relief, all Loki could do was imagine Okershall without her.

He did it now, watching her read her book while one of the black cats lay curled on her lap, and the other ran around in ferocious battle with its own tail.

What would it be like, having his time as his own again? He could sleep in his own chambers rather than spend his nights watching over her, battling both her damned cats for possession of the settee along with his persistent state of sexual frustration. He could enjoy a meal without Saldis fussing over her or Hlin's nonstop chatter whenever Asrior was around. He could take his castle back from her endless parade of animals, visit a landowner without her voicing her opinion on their needs, read without wondering if she would enjoy the book, walk through the Okershall's golden halls secure in the knowledge that his day would be uninterrupted by her fits of temper, or the need to calm her fears, or the unexpected sound of her laughter…

She was laughing now, softly, watching as the cat that had been on her lap leapt from the settee and began stalking the animal playing on the floor. As the first cat crept along the carpet, its tail twitching, she lowered the book and bit her lip to stop herself from making too much noise.

Loki watched the amusement flood her face as one cat pounced and the other rolled onto its back, screeching. The sight of her like this made him feel warm inside, made him glad—but as with the offer to stay married, he had never thought about _why_ he felt so. He simply liked seeing her happy.

A movement to his left distracted him for a moment, and he turned to look at Sazur, who had jumped onto his desk to sit down. The grey cat did not try to play or to make a mess, instead staring at the smaller black ones on the floor with something close to disdain on its face. Loki raised a brow, feeling an odd affinity for the animal, and then turned back to his wife.

What would it be like right now if she were not here? Loki tried to imagine sitting in his workroom alone. Asrior's yowling creatures would be far away, possibly over at Hogun's cottage. The cats and the rabbit and songbird. Her plants and flowers. Everything she cared for—it could all take over the warrior's living space and disturb his peace instead.

And Asrior would be with them. Hogun would be the one to deal with her moods. He would be the one that she would sharpen her tongue upon. The warrior would be the one to hear her laugh, too, and watch her face when she gazed in wonder at something she found beautiful. He would guard her while she slept, and before slumber, Hogun would be the one to soften her temper so that it turned to desire. He would be the one to feel the touch of her hands on his body. He would be allowed to wind her hair around his hands, to be inside of her…

His thoughts filled him with such…such maddening resentment and anger that he found himself throwing the ledger he held into the corner of the desk, overturning a jar and starling Sazur, who jumped gracefully onto the floor and turned his scornful gaze onto Loki.

"What?" Asrior was looking at him with concern. "Is something wrong?"

_Yes_, he wanted to say, _everything will be wrong if you take Hogun's offer_.

But Loki found himself pushing back from the desk instead and moving toward her instead. When he reached the chair next to her settee, he lowered himself onto it and gave her a wary look as he said, "I am going to Svartalfheim with Thor tomorrow. Queen Alflyse has requested an audience."

It was probably cowardly of him to use the journey to Svartalfheim as an excuse for his mood, but Loki did not know what else to say. It certainly wasn't the time for him to announce that he thought he was going mad and that it was her fault. That beyond wanting to bed her, he had somehow grown attached to her. That he was turning _sentimental_.

Asrior, looking very surprised at his words about Alflyse, fumbled with her book.

"When?" she asked, and her unease was palpable. "You will project there?"

"I am to take a portal."

"You are not taking the portal from the city?" She asked, the dread still evident in her voice. "If you leave tomorrow, you will not have time to journey there."

Her concern helped Loki shake the tumult that was taking over him, and he leaned toward her, explaining, "No, Asrior. I will take the portal from here."

"Oh." She blinked as she absorbed his words, asking, "You will not be gone long? You will be back quickly?"

Her questions surprised him, for she seemed to be wary of him being away from Okershall. Loki had expected questions about Valtur.

Seeking to reassure her, he said, "I cannot say how long I will be away, but Alflyse is not known for playing games with emissaries from other realms. I will not be gone long, and you will be safe here."

"What… what will I be doing while you are gone?" The words were slow, as though she was thinking carefully before speaking. "How will it happen?"

"I will leave from this room after midday, and no one from Okershall will know that I am gone except for you and Hlin."

Asrior looked slightly comforted by that, though she asked again, "You will not be gone long?"

"No, I will not." Then, the words torn reluctantly from him for there was no other way to fully ensure her safe being, Loki said, "I will ask Hogun to stay with you as well if you would like. He can help watch over you while I am away. I know you are concerned since your greenhouse was ransacked."

Loki watched her reaction very carefully, but the warrior's name did not seem to register with her—at least, it did not seem to alleviate her trepidation. Asrior's hands were clasped tightly together, and she was staring at him, obviously concerned.

"If you think it would be wise, we can ask Hogun to be here. You say that no one from Okershall will know that you are gone, but what of Svartalfheim?" she asked. "If Valtur is aware that you will be there, perhaps he will use the opportunity to…to attack here. Or to let whoever works here for him know that it is safe to try…"

"That will not happen," Loki broke in, leaning closer to her. "Valtur would not be so bold as to plan an attack when I am with his queen, for it would be obvious that he was behind it."

She did not look convinced, and Loki was not persuaded by his own assurance either. So he sighed and said, "I think it unlikely that anything will happen while I am gone. But we will take precautions. You have Stark's weapons, and Hlin will keep guard." And biting back another sigh, he added, "Hogun as well. You will be protected, Asrior."

She finally nodded, giving him a determined smile as she tried to gird her nerves. "Be brave."

"Yes," Loki agreed, sitting up a little and taking in a deep breath. "All of us."

Hlin came in shortly after to discuss the final preparations for the bonfire structure, saying that Loki needed to visit the field where the celebration would be held. Asrior did not protest when the god insisted that she go with him. Indeed, she seemed reluctant to leave his side. She stayed with him throughout the afternoon, sat by his side during supper, and only left for her chambers after being assured that he would be up soon to read with her.

Though she did not appear to have nightmares, Asrior's sleep was troubled. Loki did not bother trying to rest at all, instead reading until his wife was asleep. After, he stood and paced around the room, his mind working through the coming meeting when it did not drift to Hogun's words once more.

Asrior was tense the next day and tried not to not show it. To distract her—and himself—Loki took her to the Halfjornson farm in the morning. He saddled Mars for her to ride, surprising her, while Hlin saddled one of Okershall's ponies, gamely riding along with her. Loki rode an impatient Falhofnir at an extremely slow walk, silently promising the horse that he would take him for a gallop later.

The visit seemed to ease Asrior's mind, if it did nothing to distract Loki. As with the night before, he kept trying to imagine what it would be like if she was not there with him. And as with the night before, he found it hard to envision anything without her presence. The few times he managed to do so, the results were not conducive to bettering his mood.

When the time came for him to leave, Hogun appeared, pushing the door open to Loki's workroom while holding the songbird's cage in his hand. He explained that he had made another whistle, this one able to play more complicated birdsongs. Hlin rushed over immediately and asked the warrior to teach him one of the calls.

Asrior glanced at the pair and smiled, but did not move toward them. She turned to look at Loki instead, trying to mask her unease as she said, "You expect Valtur to be with the queen, don't you."

Loki did not disassemble. "Yes, I expect he will, especially if he learns that I am to accompany Thor."

She pressed her lips together and admitted, "I have tried to think about what you said, that he will not try anything here while you are on Svartalfheim, but I am still worried."

"That is only natural. I can admit that I am concerned as well."

Surprise lit her eyes. "You hide it well." And then she bit her lip and asked, "If something happens here, is there a way to reach you while you are away?"

His chest tightened at the look on her face, but he had to shake his head. "No. You just have to trust that I will be back soon. You have Hlin and Hogun here, and…"

"But Hogun does not know magic, and Hlin knows little compared to you," she injected. "They cannot possibly fight Valtur the way you can."

He smiled despite himself, for the thought that she trusted his powers was heartening. "Finally you admit that you respect my sorcery, elf?"

Offense filled her eyes. "Of course I respect your abilities. In case you were unaware, you are the only person on Asgard that I fully trust to stand up to Valtur's dark magic." She was looking at him from under her lashes, her expression almost bashful. But just as Loki's chest seemed to swell with her praise, the corner of Asrior's mouth tilted up, her eyes gleaming as she added, "And if you find it impossible to turn him into a footstool, at the very least, you can conjure a great fog in which to lose him in."

"You…" he began, amazed that she would take this moment to jest. "You are…the most…"

"What?" she asked, giving him an innocent look. "You are the one that bragged of your prowess in generating fogs."

"Here I am, attempting to offer reassurance," he breathed, trying not to laugh at the pleased look on her face, "And all you can do is make a mockery of me?"

"No, I do not mean to mock you," she assured him, her face serious again. "I was only trying to lighten your mood. Or perhaps mine. I do not like that you will be with Valtur. I will worry about you the entire time you are there."

Loki blinked. Perhaps he could have taken Asrior's worry as a sign that she doubted him, but, surprisingly, he was touched by her concern. He could not remember the last time anyone had expressed such emotion on his behalf. As she looked up at him, her eyes face free of guile and eyes filled with trepidation, he found that it was hard to speak.

"Asrior," he managed finally. "I am more than capable of facing Valtur. You must trust me."

"Oh, I do," she said, her voice growing very low as she bent her head to stare at her hands, which were clutching at the edge of her tunic. "It is just that I have seen what he is capable of. I do not trust him."

She had to stay with him. That was all that he could think as he looked at the bright hair that bent over her hands. There was nothing else to consider but that Asrior had to stay—and not because it was honorable, or the right thing to do, but because he wanted her to. He had wanted her to do so for some time, but only then did he allow himself to admit it.

And now was a most inconvenient time to come to that conclusion, for the moment that he had to activate the portal to Svartalfheim was rapidly approaching.

So he gave a quick glance at his desk where Hogun and Hlin were still standing, their attention still focused on the songbird.

Reaching for her hands, Loki gently extracted them from the hem of her tunic. At the feel of fingers wrapping around hers, she raised her eyes, and he held her gaze, vowing, "We will, both of us, be unharmed. I promise you."

"Really?" But a tremulous sigh escaped, and she whispered, "I will try to be brave."

Loki simply gazed at her for a moment, wanting to say so much more. But it was time to go, and perhaps time to allow actions to speak—and so he pulled her hands toward him, not quite as gently as he wanted, and when she was almost against him and had raised startled eyes to his, he kissed her.

He found it different deliberately kissing Asrior than it had been the trivial woman at court. The action made him feel so exposed that he moved awkwardly, his lips missing her mouth, hitting the corner of it instead. But after a moment, she turned her head so that her lips were fully touching his, and Loki pressed even closer to her so that their hands were caught tightly between their bodies.

When he pulled back a little, his eyes were fierce as he said, "Have courage."

He was not sure if spoke to her or to himself. There wasn't time to figure it out. So he carefully let go of her hands and turned, giving her one last look over his shoulder before he latched on to the portal and was gone from Okershall.

….

Thor was waiting for him when he arrived, looking every inch a king as he stood near the onyx-black doors that led to Alflyse's throne room.

Loki could tell that his brother was tense, though, for the shoulders in his armor were stiff and the hand that gripped his helmet was white.

Smirking, Loki glanced at the winged headpiece. "No crown today? Aren't you supposed to be king?"

"I am a warrior first, brother, and I mean for Alflyse to understand such," Thor said tightly, his eyes flashing as he took in the other god's own armor and helmet. "And at least I am not a cow."

Pursing his lips, Loki made a _tsking_ sound before grinning, "Someone certainly is touchy. Are you certain that you are up to this?" He looked around the entry hall, eyeing the guards in their eerie white masks which distorted their elven features. "Perhaps you have assumed too much with your kingly mantle."

Thor, to his credit, rolled his eyes and allowed his body to relax. "You are not getting the throne of Asgard, Loki. Tis mine."

"Well… hope springs eternal." The words were half-hearted, for even jesting was difficult as they waited. "How long do you…"

But as the words left Loki's mouth, the great black doors opened. A courier dressed in a long black and silver cape stepped forward, beckoning the pair in.

Loki allowed Thor to walk ahead of him, and though he trailed his brother by half a step, his demeanor was as assured as any ruler's. He wanted Valtur to know that he was not to be trifled with. Not now, not when he knew the extent of the elf's depravity.

As the pair walked through the small crowd of elves that flanked throne room, Loki's eyes discretely searched for Asrior's father. He saw him just as Thor stopped at the bottom of the grand steps that led to the room's great silver throne. The elf lord was standing to the left of them, at the edge of the great dais upon which sat the queen's throne.

A courtier announced their names, and Loki and Thor bowed their heads slightly as a show of respect. When he lifted his gaze, Thor looked up at the queen, his face rigid. Loki looked up at her as well, a small smile playing about his lips, for he knew that Valtur's eyes would be on him.

"Thor, King of Asgard…" Alflyse drawled as she gazed down at them. She looked even taller upon her throne than she was, much like a queen should, with her glittering silver crown sitting upon her night-dark hair. "I am prepared to hear your explanation for seeking to build weapons that target only those of my race."

Thor's smile was pleasant as he answered, "And I am prepared to hear your explanation for harboring a marauder whose attacks on Asgard not only break the treaties our realms have signed, but make it necessary to seek such weapons."

Loki almost grinned, for his brother's words surprised him, as did Thor's growing ability to cut directly to the chase. But he kept his gaze on the queen, who looked unfazed by the Asgardian king's accusation.

"You speak of Valtur the Unmerciful," she stated, her look imperious. "As I asked before, have you proof your indictment against him?"

"Have you proof that the weapons I seek to create are to be used for anything other than my people's protection?" Thor volleyed back. "I have already told you that I seek a defense against the dark elf attacks that plague the people of Asgard's lower countries. I fail to see what other explanation I owe."

Alflyse surprised them, though, for a slow smile spread over her face. "Valtur tells me that he was attacked with these weapons and at your hand, Thor Odinson, when he was searching for his daughter on Midgard. That does not sound like protecting your lower countries to me."

A nerve in Thor's jaw twitched. "He attacked while I was testing the weapons for use on Asgard. He did not appear as if he was searching for his daughter, unless his manner of doing such is to launch his own weapons at other realms' rulers. And I can assure you, the lady Asrior was not with me."

"No, she wasn't," Alflyse breathed, turning her gaze to Loki. "She was with the trickster."

Loki could almost feel the heat of Valtur's gaze beside him, but he refused to look at the elf until he was ready. "If by trickster, you mean that she was with her husband, then you are right," he acknowledged. "I fully admit that I am wed to Asrior, daughter of Valtur the Unmerciful."

"He has deceived her!" The words burst from Valtur hotly, though when the dark elf continued, his voice was calmer, if still brimming with fury. "Forgive me, my liege, but the God of Mischief and Lies had long sought to besmirch my name with allegations that I am responsible for many deaths on Asgard, including that of a goddess once close to his heart. Can you not see that Loki Laufeyson would not enter a union with one of my blood for anything other than vengeance?"

For the first time, Loki allowed himself to look at Valtur. The elf lord was glaring at him, his eyes blazing with fury—and, the god saw, a hint of uncertainly and fear.

"What say you to this, Laufeyson? Did you deceive Valtur's daughter?" Alflyse asked, her voice hard. "And recall that your marriage contract was most unusual."

Loki's lips curled, and his eyes did not leave Valtur's. "My wife entered the marriage willingly and had access to the marriage contract before we wed. I will admit that she was once unaware of my hatred for her father, but she is since set straight on the matter. Despite that, she continues to forsake the comfort of her father's home for mine. She has no wish to return to Svartalfheim."

As Loki turned his gaze back to the queen, Valtur gritted, "He has placed a spell on her. My own sorcery and Laufeyson's own beleaguered past allows me to understand the extent of what he is capable of. He has used his silver tongue to turn her head, to…"

Unable to help himself, Loki smirked. "Not only my tongue."

A sound of such rage emitted from the dark elf that Thor turned toward him, a hand moving to his hip in search of a weapon.

"Enough!" Alflyse was scowling as she raised her voice. "You are all in my court to talk, not to engage in childish fights."

Thor stepped back, his hand moving down as he looked at the queen in apology, but Valtur was still seething. His eyes glittered as they locked onto Loki's, and he sneered, "You may have convinced her to spread her legs for you, but that does not make her yours to keep, Asgardian. Asrior is my daughter! I did not approve of this union, and she belongs to me…"

"Asrior belongs only to herself, and she has chosen Asgard. And I do not seek to own her, though I admit that I am thankful she yet has use of both legs," Loki hissed. The greyish-white of Valtur's face that was visible under his armor turned paler, and his look was of such bitterness and contempt that only Thor's presence stopped Loki from outright attacking him. "You see, I understand that you are disappointed that you did not gain more from your daughter's marriage, but I can assure you that I am _very well aware_ of exactly what I owe you. Fear not, lord Valtur, for you will be repaid in full."

Thor was glaring at him, and Loki could feel Alflyse's stare as well. For a moment, though, the only sound was of Valtur's tortured breathing as he held back his fury, but the queen finally muttered, "Well? Thor's brother has agreed to offer you recompense, Valtur. Isn't that what you are saying, prince?"

"Of course," Loki smirked, his own breath ragged. "Already, the marriage contract has been amended so that the wealth that Asrior brought into our union stays in her possession. Likewise, I seek to give her father nothing more than what he is owed. I seek only fairness."

Alflyse leaned back in her throne, and something in the smile that touched her mouth told Loki that she was aware of his true meaning. The queen turned her eyes back to Thor, though, and said, "I will discuss the matter of Valtur's journey to Midgard with him soon, for my time grows short today. Perhaps next time, I will visit you on Asgard."

Thor bent his head. "Of course, Queen Alflyse. It would be my pleasure to see you in our court once more."

The queen muttered approval and dismissed them with a wave of her hand. When they turned to leave, Loki followed his brother one step behind again. He could tell once more by the set of Thor's back—and by his clenched fists—that he was holding back his anger.

When they were in the outside hall again, the doors closing behind them, Loki stopped. Before he could stop himself, he was smirking, "Well. That was not so bad after all…"

"What are you keeping from me, Loki?" Thor asked, rounding on his brother with a snarl. "What was going on between you and Valtur? Alflyse was observing you, gauging your reaction to him."

"It is as I said," Loki defended hotly. "I only seek to repay him what he is owed."

"But you said that you would…" Thor managed to stop himself before he repeated Loki's promise to kill Asrior's father, and he lowered his voice as he glanced warily at the guards near the door. "You know what you said."

"And I meant it." Loki's voice was a soft growl. "Such a fate is exactly what he is owed."

"You are holding something back from me." Thor smiled as though they were having a normal conversation, but his hushed words were fierce. "You go from accusing your wife of colluding with her father to threatening his life, and you will not tell me why. And now you…you use Asrior in an effort to provoke him while visiting his queen's court. What is going on, Loki? What you do in this matter affects Asgard as well as you."

"There is nothing…" he began, but Thor interrupted him, saying, "I will allow you to attend to your people during the holiday, but when Vatrnaetr is over, you will bring Asrior to court to discuss exactly what is going on in your marriage and why you have so changed. And you will tell me everything this time. This is not a request, but a demand from your king."

A week. That gave Loki little less than a week to understand himself exactly what was going on in his marriage.

"Yes, my liege," Loki muttered, his mind busy plotting. "Until then."

….

_Courage _

Asrior kept repeating the word as Loki disappeared through the portal, for it was hard to feel valor when she felt so much fear. But she could still feel the touch of his lips against her own, and the tingling sensation gave her comfort. This time, Loki had kissed her with purpose. It was as though he wanted to bolster both of their spirits for the coming meeting with Valtur and chose to do so by touching her.

A sound near Loki's desk drew her attention, and heat rushed to her cheeks when she remembered that she and her husband had not been alone in the room.

Hlin was bent over the golden reedling's cage, playing on a new whistle. Hogun was watching the bird, and though he gave Asrior a quick look, his face was composed as he said, "It will take time for Loki to return. You should try to read, seeing as Hlin has taken over your bird."

The boy gave her an apologetic smile over his shoulder, but did not move from the desk. So Asrior sighed and moved to her settee, even though reading would be impossible. As she settled against the cushions, she picked up the book of sonnets and opened it, thinking to at least try. She turned to one of the poet's first works, a poem she liked very much, and tried to focus on the words.

…_Haply I think on thee, and then my state, Like to the lark at break of day arising, From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's date; For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings That then I scorn to change my state with kings._

And yet the more she read, the more difficult it became to concentrate. After a few minutes, Asrior simply pretended to read. She stared blankly at the blurred words in front of her, her mind turning to Loki's kiss before he left. Why had he saw fit to take such action?

What was it that Hogun had said not two days earlier? With her husband, one had to step back and pay attention to actions to understand motives, that Loki's words alone were not enough to take his measure. And with that thought, Asrior began to shuffle through memories.

All the time he had been telling her that she must think about her future, Loki's actions had been attentive. _Kind_. He had shown extraordinary patience to help her overcome her fear of horses. He allowed her pets in the castle. He had taken her to see the Habroks depart their nest.

Nothing in his actions had been evidence of his wanting to be free of her company—but nothing spoke to his doing more than simply being thoughtful.

Still, he had her mother's name carved in a place of permanence at Okershall, a place that held great meaning to the people that lived there. Surely that meant something.

Odd scampered over the back of the settee and across Asrior's lap, jumping onto the side chair, distracting her. And as the cat moved, she noticed that her new cloak was draped over the chair's arm. She set down her book, her pretense at reading abandoned, and reached over to gently shoo the cat away so that she could pull the flowing green material toward her. As she gathered the cloak over her lap, she turned it over so that her fingers could stroke the downy feathers that lined its inside.

Loki had given her this too, a garment not only breathtaking in its beauty, but one that held meaning for both of them. She had called him by his given name the first time she had seen a Peryton, when they were by the lakes—and he had told her of his childhood with Thor. For that brief time, he had talked to her without cunning or trickery.

She turned the cloak over and held the wool against her cheek for a moment before smoothing the material out. As she did so, her fingers fell upon the cloak's gold clasp, and she looked at it closely. It was large, like a bouquet, and she saw that it was made of different kinds of flowers.

As her finger ran along the edge of one, her breath caught, for the clasp was not made only of flowers. Nestled among the golden spray of blossoms was a star.

Asrior began to trace the other flowers, finding another star hidden among them, and then another. Six in all—and as her fingers drew over them, she realized that the stars formed the Midgardian constellation Andromeda as she'd seen it on top of Stark Tower. The constellation's six brightest stars, those visible to the naked eye.

The stars that he had allowed her to see with his magic.

And of all the formations they saw that night, he chose Andromeda, who had been chained to a rock as a sacrifice to a monster and then rescued by her future husband.

Her heart, which had been possessed of a dull dread since Loki left, began to feel different. It still ached, but the sting altered now. It gave her hope, for as she stared at her cloak and at the memories woven through every part of it, Asrior knew that its meaning was clear.

This gift from Loki was _sentimental_.

It was not the product of mere thoughtfulness. For the first time, Asrior allowed herself to think that Loki might be…that he might be fond of her.

She did not know how long she sat, gazing at the cloak as she tried to grapple with the new knowledge that she held, but at some point, a plan began to form in her head. She wasn't sure exactly what she would do, but she understood what goal needed reaching.

Hogun seemed to understand that she needed space to think, for when Hlin spoke of bringing the bird to the settee, he dissuaded him by playing a new song on the whistle.

When the tell-tale pop of the portal finally sounded behind her, Asrior slowly folded her cloak and placed it on the settee. Then she stood and turned, trying to adopt a calm expression as she regarded her husband.

Loki, for his part, was staring at her, his eyes almost burning.

"You are back," she said simply, moving toward him, telling her heart to stop its sudden urge to leap about in her chest.

He nodded, and his lips thinned. "Yes."

Asrior stopped so that she stood just in front of him, gazing up at the sharp planes of his face. She wanted to reach out to him, but his body was tense, and it looked as though his mind was racing. So she asked, "The audience with the queen was eventful?"

The ice in his pale green eyes seemed to melt slightly as he looked at her, but the smirk on his face was slightly bitter. "Nothing was resolved. And I am not sure if I made things better or worse."

Ah. He was angry at himself.

"Valtur was there?"

"Yes." The word was curt.

Sighing softly, Asrior reached out for his hand. Loki allowed her to take it and even followed her when she pulled him toward the settee. "You can tell us what happened if you'd like."

She loosened her fingers from his as she sat upon the settee, watching as Loki took a deep breath and moved to his desk. He slid behind it, reaching for a piece of paper as Hlin reached for the birdcage and moved away. As the god began to scribble something on it, he shot a glance at Hogun.

"Allow me time to think, and we can discuss our next moves."

The warrior crossed his arms, his face growing dark. "You think Valtur is more likely to attack here?"

Loki grunted, "He will be more tempted after today, that is certain." He looked up then, this time at Asrior. "But if he chooses to do so, it is likely that we will not be here. Thor has requested that we journey to the city when Vatrnaetr is complete."

Asrior's jaw dropped in surprise. "Back to court? Both of us?"

"Yes." Loki looked grim.

"What… what did you do on Svartalfheim, Loki?" she asked, a mixture of curiosity and unease filling her.

"Nothing," he said, his expression veiled as he glanced at her. "Thor simply wishes to discuss our marriage."

Slumping back into the settee, Asrior allowed his words to sink in.

Hlin was talking, telling Loki that they needed to make a final inspection of the bonfire structure.

"Already?" Loki asked, looking distracted. "But Vatrnaetr is…"

"Tomorrow, my lord," Hlin said, giving his master a surprised look. "The holiday begins tomorrow. And we should give Halporr approval so that the fire can bit lit at dusk."

A day. She had a day to prepare, a day to plot her actions, a day to gird herself for the coming battle, as it were.

_It is an occasion of wild, drunken, uninhibited debauchery_, Loki had once said.

She certainly hoped so. It would make her plan so much easier to carry out.

And as Asrior stood and reached for her cloak, for Hlin was insisting they leave as soon as possible, she took a deep breath and covertly stared at her husband, one thought in her mind.

_Courage._

….

It was not the first time she wished for another feminine presence at Okershall, but now the need seemed urgent. The seduction of one's husband seemed a simple enough task, but the more Asrior tried to plot, the more daunting it became. It seemed as though some experienced would be helpful in this situation.

Saldis was there, but the careworn housekeeper did not seem to be the type to ask this kind of advice. Asrior wished fervently that she could talk to Pepper, but there was no way to do so. She tried to imagine what her mother might say, with little success.

Such was her desperation that, for the first time, Asrior wished she still had the romances that Hlin had given her. But the boy had taken them away, and she was much too embarrassed to ask where he had secreted them.

She tried to remember that wretched book she'd read by the lake, the one about Aphrodite and Mars, but the memory of that did little to help. The Greek goddess of love's machinations during her seduction of the Roman god were entirely too humiliating to consider. Asrior thought that she would rather go naked under her cloak and bluntly tell Loki that she wanted to stay married to him, and ask if they could lie again together please, rather than so degrade herself by resorting to games.

The only experience she had to draw upon was her observations at court, and she somehow thought that Valtur's example was not worth following. The entire experience was quite depressing, and by the time dusk approached the following day, Asrior found herself close to being disheartened.

Ironically enough, Loki was the one to give her courage as dusk approached. Ever since he'd returned from Svartalfheim, he'd been even more attentive than before. And he'd touched her more.

He had not mentioned the kiss, but had not kept away from her as he'd done before. When they rode to the field where the bonfire structure was built, he drew her hand through his arm and had her walk with him as he inspected it. During dinner, he touched her arm or her shoulder when he spoke to her. Afterward, he took her to the library where he showed her a number of books that he said might interest her, and she could not help but notice that his hand kept grazing hers.

It was not much, but it was noticeable, and Loki's constant efforts to touch her continued the next day. And Asrior grew bold enough to touch him back. When they sat down at breakfast, she asked him questions about Vatrnaetr, moving so that her knee touched his thigh. When they rode into the forest to collect holly and fir branches to give out to the village's young men that night, she quite pathetically asked him to help her down from Mars, and when he lowered her to the ground, leaned shamefully into his body as she found her footing. Later she actually brushed bits of needles and bark from his hair and cape after he finished trimming branches from a particularly large tree, taking her time as she did so.

She half thought that she should be ashamed to be acting so coyly, but her husband was the one who turned her around slowly and brushed every bit of her cloak off, even the parts where she was sure nothing clung to it. And when it was time to leave, Loki insisted upon helping her onto Mars, his hands lingering on her waist as he asked her if she fully settled in the saddle.

Those moments, small as they were, sustained her when it was time to venture upstairs to get ready for the lighting of the bonfire. Loki had pulled her up from settee at some point in the afternoon, holding onto her hand as he told her that Saldis was waiting to go with her to her chambers, and as Asrior followed the older woman from the room, she could feel his eyes on her.

An hour later, she was standing in front of a long mirror, looking at herself critically as Saldis brushed out her dark red hair.

"Are you sure this is… Well, is it appropriate for Okershall?" Asrior asked, for she had put on the dress she'd bought on Midgard.

If there was one thing that life at court had taught her, it was that seduction usually entailed the female being half dressed. The Midgardian gown wasn't as revealing as some at court, but Asrior noticed that it hugged her figure much more than she'd realized before. She might not be the same stature as the sticky goddess or Lorelei, but surely Loki would find her physically appealing?

"It is entirely proper, my lady," Saldis assured her, smiling at her in the mirror. "You look quite lovely. I'm sure Master Loki will be quite pleased."

Asrior's face turned almost as red as her hair. She wanted to ask the housekeeper if she really thought as much or if she was simply being kind, but all she managed was a strangled, "Thank you."

"All we need now is a bit of jewelry," Saldis murmured, pulling Asrior's hair back with her hands.

"I do not have much. Only a necklace," Asrior admitted. "It is a chain that belonged to my mother—I keep it in the small box by my bedside."

Saldis moved quickly to retrieve it, placing it around Asrior's neck as she said, "It's really all you need. We'll fix some of your hair back with ribbon, something very simple. You will want to put the greenery the master gives you in your hair later."

Surprised, Asrior said, "Holly and fir? But that is for the young men to give to…to their… to the…"

It was as though Valtur's curse held her tongue again.

The housekeeper's usually stern face was wreathed in reminiscence. "Yes, it is for the young men to give to the females they hold dear or hope to consort with. Holly for fertility, and fir for longevity of affection. But you are mistress here, and I am certain that your husband will present you with some."

"He cannot be expected to do so," Asrior protested, though her heart fluttered at the prospect. "Our marriage… You know that it is not… it is not normal."

_Not yet_.

"I did not say that he will offer it to you because it is expected." Saldis gave her a mysterious look, her smile different now. And she said nothing else as she pulled a bit of Asrior's hair back, winding twilight-hued ribbon she'd found through the strands.

When she was finished, she stepped back to admire her work. "You are beautiful, my lady," the housekeeper said, her voice gruff. "And you should go downstairs now, for you must leave soon if you are to make it to the bonfire by dusk."

Asrior left the room then, feeling extraordinarily nervous. As she made her way down the stairs, she silently congratulated herself on wearing silk slippers instead of the Midgardian heels she'd worn before. She doubted she would have made it to the bottom in one piece otherwise, such was her anxiety.

It helped her nerves that the castle's great hall was empty, and Saldis, who had trailed behind her, said that she would find Hlin.

In a moment, the housekeeper was back with the boy, whose eyes widened as he entered the hallway from the old keep. Asrior did not know whether to be flattered or insulted as Hlin's obvious surprise at her appearance, but smiled anyway when he said, "You look fantastic, Asrior. I almost didn't recognize you."

He seemed to realize what he said as soon as the words left his mouth, for he flushed, and muttered something about the cart. But just as he moved to walk away, Loki appeared from the hall that led to his workroom.

Her husband, thankfully, looked just as appreciatively at her as Hlin had, without the surprise. His eyes darkened as he drew near, and he reached out a hand to touch her hair where it fell over a bare shoulder.

He did not speak, though, and after a moment, Asrior tried to talk to fill the silence. She wasn't sure what to say, for her plans for seduction had not gone as far as conversation.

Hlin broke the silence, sounding impatient. "Should I get the cart ready? Asrior cannot ride Mars dressed like that."

"Oh…" Asrior looked down at her dress in panic. "I thought this was…"

"You are fine," Loki cut in, smiling warmly at her. She noticed that he held her cloak over an arm, and he opened it, moving behind her to place it over her shoulders. "Indeed, it is a shame to so cover your dress. But the air grows very cold tonight." He turned her around and fastened the claps, then looked over at Hlin. "There's no need for the cart. I'll take Asrior up on Falhofnir with me."

She almost asked how he expected to carry her, for sitting behind him would not work given her dress. But riding with Loki would present her with an excellent opportunity to practice her seduction. So she smiled and reached for his arm, allowing him to lead her from the castle.

After mounting his great sorrel, Loki bent to take Asrior from Hlin, who was helping her up, and in a moment, she was swung so that she sat in front of her husband, her legs draped over one side of the horse. Her arms went around his waist immediately, and she found one of his wrapped around her back, while he held the reins with one hand.

He spurred the horse forward as soon as Hlin appeared on a smaller black one, and when he moved into a canter, Asrior tightened her arms around Loki's waist and she put her head against his shoulder. Within minutes, they were at the field where the bonfire was to be lit, and a great cheer rose from the crowd as Loki pulled Falhofnir to a stop. Asrior was amazed at the number of people that milled about, and as Hlin helped her to the ground, she said, "I knew everyone from the village and farms would come, but…"

"And it's just getting started," Hlin said, grinning at her stunned look. "Those from the furthermost farms will arrive later."

Loki was at her side then, taking her arm and winding it through his. "Come. We have holly and fir to hand out. Hlin…you can be the first to get your favors."

He pulled her toward a nearby hay cart, which was filled with the holly and fir they'd cut earlier. And though there was little time for seduction as they wove through the crowd and handed the branches to the young men, Asrior found that she was enjoying herself.

When the most of the greenery was given away, the last of the sun's light was making way for the stars above. And as a handful of men lit the tall torches that lined the field, the rest of the crowd began to circle the bonfire structure.

There was no ceremony, simply a round of cheers as the men who had constructed the great wooden pyramid stepped forward, each holding a piece of wood in their hands that was burning at one end. One by one, they stepped forward and placed their smaller logs at the base of the structure, and by the time the last man had done so, the bonfire was roaring against the night sky.

"Now it gets fun!" Hlin chortled from his place next to Asrior.

Music began to play as some of the villages picked up their instruments, and women carrying buckets of drink began to mill through the crowd, handing out cups of mulled wine. Asrior saw the brewer from the village roll his wagon up to the crowd, and the first of what was sure to be many wooden barrels of mead was tapped.

Glancing at the holly and fir Hlin held in his hands, Asrior grinned and asked, "Shouldn't you be finding a pretty girl to give your branches to?"

He reddened at her teasing and gave her a bashful glance. "You are the prettiest here, but I cannot give this to you."

"Why not?" she asked, trying to ease his embarrassment. She glanced at where Loki stood, handing out more greenery to a handful of late comers, her brow raised. "I do not have any as of yet."

To her surprise, Hlin grinned, looking over her shoulder. "Perhaps Hogun will give you something," he said, not quite meeting her eyes. "The Halfjorns have family visiting from Nidvallier and there is said to be a fetching girl nearer to my age among them."

And as he melted into the crowd, she turned, watching as Hogun approached. The usually grim warrior was smirking at the boy as he walked away, though the eyes he turned to Asrior were serious.

"Good evening, my lady." He sounded almost formal as he reached for her hand, and when he lifted her fingers to his mouth in the way of Asgardians, he smiled at her. "You are breathtaking tonight."

Asrior murmured her thanks, surprised at the warrior's courtly manner. And as he stood, she saw with surprise that he held a piece of holly in his hands and was stepping forward as though to hand it to her.

Only before Hogun could say anything, Loki was at Asrior's side, saying, "Forgive me, but the Joorson boys were late arriving, for they helped bring food from the village. I should have done this first."

His hands were on her hair then, gently placing something among the ribbons that Saldis had woven through it.

"Oh…" Asrior's hand lifted, her fingers grazing the pieces of holly and fir that he had tucked into her hair. "You…"

But Loki was looking at Hogun, his eyes flinty though he sounded solicitous as he asked, "How are you tonight, my old friend?"

The warrior's face was grim again. "I am well. I would ask after you, but I can see that you are in sound form."

Her husband merely nodded. "Indeed."

Asrior glanced from one man to the other, wondering at the tension that seemed to have sprung up between them, and just as she was about to say something, Loki took her hand in his. "We should find you something to eat and drink, Asrior. When the dancing starts, I do not think you will have much time to do anything else, for you will be in high demand."

Hogun bowed his head then, murmuring, "Your husband is correct. Perhaps I will find you later tonight during the dancing."

Loki began pulling her away then, and Asrior gave the warrior a quick wave, wondering what had gotten into the two men. But just before she turned away, the grave look on Hogun's face faltered. For a second, he looked as though he was trying very hard not to smirk.

"Loki…" she began, looking up at her husband. "What is going on?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, grabbing a cup of wine from a passing woman and handing it to her.

Looking at the drink in her hand, she recalled that everyone at court drank heavily, and perhaps a bit of wine would help with her seduction. But she needed Loki to drink it, so she asked, "Are you not having any? It is a holiday."

He smiled and turned back to the woman serving the wine, but just as he opened his mouth to ask for another cup, he snapped it shut again, his face turning white.

"What?" Asrior asked, a knot of fear forming in her stomach. "Do you feel magic…"

"My lord! You found your elf!"

Her own mouth dropped open, for when Asrior turned to see who was talking, she saw that a small, familiar-looking blonde girl had moved to stand in front of Loki.

"Larson?" Asrior gasped, staring at the girl who had helped her sell her stolen items in Preikk's black market. "What are you doing here?"

The girl turned her gaze to meet Asrior's, her grin cheeky. "Visiting cousins. You'll know them…the Halfjornsons. Aunt Nessa told me much about you." Her smile turned sly, and she glanced up at Loki. "It would be a shame if I told my aunt the things I saw."

Loki's nostrils flared, and he found his voice. "If you dare hold out your hand, I will follow through on my threat to cut it off. And you will speak to no one about my wife, not even Nessa, not if you know what's good for you, you impertinent child."

Larson grinned again. "I'm only gaming with you." Her eyes shifted back to Asrior, raking over her cloak appraisingly. "He's upset that he had to pay me so much to tell him where I bought you back in Nidvallier. I almost felt guilty, too, because you were so polite, my lady. But I can see that it worked out for the best."

Asrior blinked. She wanted to laugh at Loki's expression, to tease him at the girl's lack of respect, but she somehow knew that it was not the place. So she tightened her hand on his, her voice warm. "Yes, it has worked out for the best. I should thank you for telling him where to find me."

Beside her, Loki took a deep breath, gritting, "Shouldn't you be duping some poor soul out of his holly right now?"

"All in due time," Larson tutted, not at all daunted by the god standing before her. She looked up at him, sounding as though he were the child and she the adult as she explained, "I've got my eye on someone, but these things take time, you have to understand. It's just tonight that they give out the branches, so I have to be careful in how I approach him."

She gave Loki a quick curtsey, and smiled genially at Asrior. "You look quite lovely for an elf."

The girl began to move then, heading deliberately toward her cousins, who stood near the bonfire talking to Hlin. She tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder as she neared the boys, turning to wink broadly at Loki and Asrior.

"By all the realms, no, she cannot be after Hlin," Loki said, sounding faint, his face growing even whiter.

Unable to help herself, Asrior began to giggle, and she turned into Loki, her forehead falling onto his chest as she tried to still her laughter.

"This is not a game," he said from above her, his voice still unlike his own. "I swear to you, if Hlin marries her, I'll disown him. I'll… I'll toss him from the castle…"

"She is yet a child. They will not get married. At the most, she might wrangle a kiss, but this is simply a part of the holiday, correct?" Asrior said, still shaking with laughter. "And you should see your face."

"What of my face?" he asked, still sounding testy. "You seem to have an affinity for it when I am out of sorts."

Feeling very daring, Asrior lifted a hand and placed it against his cheek. "You have a nice face. Not just when you are out of sorts."

His eyes glittered, and she felt his hand at her waist. Asrior suddenly felt as though her clumsy attempt at seduction might work.

"Were you telling her the truth? You told the brat that your being here had worked out for the best."

Asrior's stomach filled with butterfly wings, and when she leaned into Loki's body, there was no pretense, for it was suddenly very hard to stand. "Yes," she whispered, her body filling with nervous excitement. "I find that I am quite pleased with how things have turned out."

The hand touching his face slid down, trailing along his neck to rest on his chest. Loki's own hand reached up and grasped it, and he lowered his head so that his mouth was near her ear. "Asrior… There are things we must discuss."

She almost kicked him, such was her frustration at his words. Swearing to herself that if he even mentioned her leaving that she would indeed kick him—hard—Asrior answered, "I do not wish to talk right now."

He sighed and pulled away slightly, mumbling something that sounded like, "Neither do I," but as he did so, a hand was at her elbow and Halporr was beside her, saying, "My lady, the dancing is starting. I would be honored if you will join this reel with me."

Wishing very much that she had something handy to hit, Asrior masked her vexation and smiled as she pulled away from her husband. "I will be happy to dance with you."

For close to two hours, she moved from one partner to the next...more of the Halfjorns, a tipsy Ulvgeir and several of the stable hands, an even drunker brewer, who had partaken too much of his own mead, and several old farmers. Though she enjoyed the dancing, Asrior found the activity was not helpful when seducing one's husband. She watched Loki as she danced, for he stayed to the side, talking to the villagers and—thankfully—drinking cups of the mulled wine. Even if she could not be by his side, surely the drink would make her task easier later on.

She was not sure how she would get him alone, or when, but at least he was cooperating, even if he didn't realize it.

Her answer came when Doan, the old farmer whose hostility toward her was not hidden, asked her to dance.

"Of course," she answered, smiling tightly at him, for the look in his eyes as he spoke to her was disdainful.

The musicians began one of the dances that Hlin had taught her, a barn dance that, thankfully, was performed with a group of several people. Still, when the movements brought them together, the old famer managed to rub closely against her, his hands landing where they were not supposed to. The entire time he leered at her, his eyes raking over her in contempt.

When the music ended, Asrior yanked her hand from his, muttering that she needed something to eat. But Doan was standing too close to her, and his hands were on her arm, pulling her toward him.

Just as Asrior was about to shove him away from her, a hand fell on her shoulder, and she heard Loki say, "I will have my wife back, if you please. It is high time that she danced with me."

Doan did not try to mask his resentment as he gave them both a mocking bow. "As you wish, liege."

The music began as the old farmer moved away, and as Loki moved to take her hand, Asrior gave him a thankful look. "You arrived just in time," she told him, taking a deep breath. "Thank you. But you do not have to dance. I know that you do not like it."

Loki arched a brow. "I thought that you did not wish to talk now."

The dance that was staring was a country dance performed by pairs instead of a group, giving Asrior an opportunity to further her seduction. "If you are sure…"

This, she thought as they began to move, was much better. The dance bought her into close contact with him, allowed her to touch Loki, to press her body against his. They were near to the fire, too, where it was quite warm. Asrior had to open her cloak, and though she did so because of the heat, she was glad that it made her dress more visible.

If her husband did not like dancing, he did not show it, for his eyes did not move from her as they danced. When the music stopped and began again, he continued to dance with her. When a third dance began and Loki stayed put by her side, Asrior began to hope, once again, that her efforts would be not only successful, but accomplished with relative ease.

For her part, Asrior found it difficult to look anywhere but him as well. The crowd around them seemed to melt away, almost as though they were alone. She was so mesmerized by their movement together that she did not notice when a portion of the bonfire structure creaked and fell. Sparks flew into the night sky, and one of the great logs rolled out from the fire and careened toward her.

Loki saw it, though, and pulled her to the side with a grunt as the flaming log rolled to a stop where Asrior had just been dancing. She stared at it, horror filling her at the sight. Her breath became ragged, and as her husband dragged her further away, she tore her eyes away from the log to look up at him, her eyes panicked.

"I don't think it was deliberate," Loki said immediately, his voice calm. "This has happened more than once when the fire burns bright. The villagers actually look forward to it."

Asrior nodded, noticing that the dancing had not stopped, and the people around them were laughing and toasting their drinks as another piece of the bonfire collapsed. But her hands were tight on his coat, and she did not speak.

A group of men moved forward to toss more logs onto the fire, and Loki's arm tightened around her, his voice at her ear. "Will you be okay to stay here? Or do you want to go back home now?"

_Home_.

The word did more to give her hope her than anything else he'd said or done that night.

"Home," she said, turning her eyes up to his. "I think it would be a good time to go home."

The concern in his eyes faded as he looked at her, and Asrior's body prickled with awareness. And her heart began hammering with an altogether feeling than fear.

"Very well," he murmured, his eyes seeming to reflect the light of the bonfire, and he pulled away from her slightly to call for his horse.

Within minutes, someone had led Falhofnir over from where he'd been waiting, and she was back in front of Loki, riding back to Okershall.

Just before he spurred the horse back into a canter, he looked down at her, asking, "You are sure you wish to leave? The air is changing. It will snow soon."

"Yes," she admitted as she tightened her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his chest. "The bonfire and dancing was very nice, but…I find that my nerves are stretched thin."

It was true. She was extremely nervous, for she was inexperienced and entirely untested in the art of seduction. But the opportunity had presented itself to get Loki alone in the castle, and despite her fear, Asrior had to try to make her husband to understand how she felt.

But as she leaned into his body as he rode, listening to beat of his heart under her ear, his arm heavy and warm against her waist, she knew that she would find a way to get over whatever nerves might hold her in their grip.

_Courage_, she told herself, closing her eyes, enjoying the feel of Loki against her. _Courage._

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Thanks so much for your reviews! I hope you like the next update, in all it's lemony goodness. And now, comments:

**vykrothe**–NEVER ENOUGH ALL CAPS! :D Thanks very much for your enthusiastic review, and as you and so many others said, YAY HOGUN! Honestly, when I outlined this entire story, this moment by Hogun was something I really looked forward to.

**Guest**–Very spiteful, though not quite as spiteful as it could have been, given that their respective sovereigns were in the room. I'll…be looking forward to see if you're right about the traitor. I hope you liked this latest update, and thanks for reading and reviewing!

**BlooAngels **–Men are very stupid! Loki especially, for he has no idea how to proceed in this manner. I like your analogy of the last peach, and how women need to know they are loved/admired/desired. And there's more I want to say (especially about one of your earlier comments, about how Loki only sees 'bad' feelings as 'good' and lumps softer feelings as sentiment that should be dismissed…for there is more of that coming up). But that would get spoilery. A bit on Valtur's father ahead, though it's not *huge*. Thanks very much for reading and reviewing, I love reading your comments.

**Candy flaps **–As you can see this update, Loki's kind of enjoying having Asrior and all of her happy, chaoticness around ;). Now he's just got to tell her without mucking it all up (and good for him that she's rather determined *not* to let him muck it up). I'm glad you liked the last update, hope you like this one, and thank you very much for reviewing. OH, and I like your thoughts about Loki being a father ;).

**SissyPerigrin **–Thanks as always for reviewing! Loki did need a push, and Hogun was the one to do it!

kayla. 1 5/26/13 . chapter 21

You are a very gifted writer, your character development is phenomenal! I'm in love with this story, but being the hopeless romantic I am, I find myself totally craving more fluff! Lol. Can't wait to see how the story continues to develop

**Kayla. 1 **–Thank you very much for your kind words. There won't necessarily be a ton of fluff (this *is* Loki Laufeyson we're talking about), but it might be slightly sweet at times ;). OK, maybe more than slightly. I think the cloak kind of speaks for itself in how sweet the stupid god can be. I hope you liked this update!

**Guest 2**-I really love Hlin too, and you should check out the image I talked about in my author's note above…I love it but was especially tickled to see my sweet little frost giant in it :) I hope you liked this update…more of Loki's POV…and some of it next update too. Thanks for taking the time to read and review! It means a lot to hear your opinions!

**MissCaityGrace **–Thanks very much for your review! I hope the wait wasn't long for this update. It started off being a total PAIN to write, because Loki didn't like me having it in his POV (too personal for him, lol). I hope the next update doesn't take as long.

**Mr-Stark-21 **–thank you for the lovely picture of Okershall! And for including sweet clueless Hlin in it! As so many have said, Hogun was just great last update (and I said earlier, I've looked forward to him having that moment for a long time). So you've seen the meeting with the queen this time (and saw that Loki was all too ready to push buttons, which he might…regret). The traitor will be unmasked in due time. Sooner rather than later, actually. Dun dun DUN, lol. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, really hope you like the next one, and thanks so very much for reviewing.

**sidlewild**–This will end well for Loki and Asrior. Eventually. :D. They still got sh** to get through first. Askldfj;asdkfj;als Thanks very much for your kind words, and I hope you liked this chapter!

**HarryPotterFreakie** –honestly, a good portion of this chapter was written under the working title (in my head) of "just fuck already". I had to edit some stuff out, lol. I considered having someone say something during their dancing, but it wasn't quite right. :D. Thanks very much for reading and taking the time to review. It means a lot to hear your words, and…the sexual tension is coming to an end rather soon.

**Shelly **–It makes me ridiculously happy that I made you snort tea out of your nose! I had fun writing the 'sticky' part. Asrior does need another girl in the castle (it really would have helped during this update). Thanks very much for reading…and I hope you liked the added detail about the cloak this go around, because the Peryton feathers were the tip of the iceberg. I won't talk about future events as far as Loki using his magical skills to heal scarring, but those mad lovemaking skills will, erm, be in use soon. Thanks for reviewing!

**London calling**–I will never complain when someone reads fanfic instead of hoovering! LOL, after all, I kind of write when I should be cleaning. I hope you liked this chapter! A little more about Loki and the cats (though he really only likes Sazur, I think…he tolerates the others because he *has a fondness* for Asrior). Thanks very much for reviewing, and I hope you liked this latest update.

**Zippythewondersquirrel**–Thanks so very much for your review! You have no idea how hard it was to write Hlin in this last chapter without thinking of 'cockblocker deluxe'. Ahjsdkfa;sdjkfa; Yay for Hogun, and hurrah that the sexing up is on its merry way!

**Fat Old Sun**–Oh, my, I am so glad that you guys liked Hogun last update. I've said it more than once in these comments, his moment there was planned long ago, and I so looked forward to his meddling (both because he wants to help AND he wants to get a little payback for back when he was courting Vedia and Loki was after her too). Thanks so very much for reviewing, and I hope you like how things are progressing!

**Sweets1111**–Thank you for your review! I hope this update was fun to read ;).

**KuramaxChan**- Merci beaucoup pour votre avis, et pour lire cette histoire. Je suis heureux que vous avez apprécié Hogun dire Hlin sur ses anciennes aventures avec Loki à la cour. Asrior n'était certainement jaloux! Les choses sont sur le point de devenir très intéressant, et j'espère que vous continuerez à apprécier comment l'histoire de Loki et Asrior joue.

**Kellyhorse **–First, thank you very much for your review! Second, Hlin looks about 12, but is about to turn 16. He's still considered a child on Asgard (as he hasn't entered that point between 18 and 21 when Asgardians and frost giants and some from other stop aging so quickly). He is older physically (despite his younger-looking appearance) than he is mature. He's rather naïve about certain things, as he was raised by an aging courtier and he hasn't been exposed to life at court very much at all. And he's at that awkward cusp where he's not really a child, but he's not an adult either. How's that for his life story ;). Thanks again for your nice words, and I hope you continue to enjoy the fic's progress.

**jnotjane**–LOL, poor Hlin. He is clueless (and as I just said above, naïve). Hanging with Hogun will give him needed lessons. Loki's not going to just sit around, but he still might need another little push next chapter (or maybe pictures, lol). Thanks for your review!

**Sephe**–Seirously, I am so tickled that everyone liked Hogun's moment to be awesome! Loki is hugely thick heade, or, as Asrior likes to say, STUPID :D. Yes, Asrior was painfully jealous. I kept writing that part thinking "Asrior is a jealous elf" using a dobby voice (that's sad, I know). Thanks very much for your kind words and for reveiwing, and I really hope you liked this update.

**MutiaRAWR **–Another cheer for Hogun! Thanks so very much for your review, and I'm sorry I couldn't get this chapter out sooner. Here's hoping the next one gets done more quickly.


	23. Chapter 22-The rituals of courtship

A/N-Thanks very much for your reviews, and for reading, and for following this fic! You are all an inspiration.

This is very much a chapter that merits the 'M' rating. Or, in the vernacular of the fanfic community, I've got a lemon for you ;). This chappie was going to be a bit longer, but, hey, the next update is already half written, and you get more citrus with it.

I sincerely hope you enjoy this update! I really did try to get it out more quickly, though work (and malware) did not want to cooperate.

Thanks to Jax Jesilaux who found extra time to edit, which I appreciate so very much!

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**Chapter 22-The rituals of courtship  
**

The ride back to Okershall was quick. Perhaps too quick, for when Loki pulled Falhofnir to a stop by the stables, he wasn't sure what to say. He was returning to an empty castle—far from prying eyes and interfering warriors—with an extremely amicable Asrior, but he barely had time to consider his good fortune before they arrived.

The lone stable hand misfortunate enough to be chosen to attend to the horses during the first night of the holiday came running out, and as Loki handed Falhofnir over to him, he managed to smile at his wife and murmur, "I suppose we should go inside."

She allowed him to take her arm as they moved to the castle, but as they turned to walk Loki frowned. It was ridiculous, at times, his inability to form a meaningful sentence around her. He was supposed to be possessed of a silver tongue, and somehow it was as though his mouth was filled with rocks.

_I suppose we should go inside?_

He almost changed his mind about broaching the subject of her staying at Okershall, for he was half-afraid he'd mangle his words to such an extent that she would think he commented on the weather.

But Asrior was still smiling, as she'd done all night, her eyes shining in such a way that he had begun to think that she wanted to stay, and not simply because she had grown comfortable at the castle. The thought that she might have moved past forgiveness to somehow grow attached to him was almost too good to imagine, and perhaps that's why his tongue was so strangely tied.

More than wanting her to stay at Okershall, Loki wanted Asrior to want _him_. Her opinion in regards to him was of great importance he had realized. It was easy to offer flattery and praise when such declarations meant nothing. But now, when putting his thoughts into words mattered so very much, Loki found it extraordinarily difficult to do so. The irony was not lost on him.

And he had no idea where to start. Though the first thing he needed to do, he realized as they walked through the back entrance of the old keep, was to keep her awake so that—somehow—he could broach the subject in such a manner that she would listen..

"You did not eat much tonight, did you?" he asked as he closed the door behind him, shutting off the cold air streaming in from outside.

"No," Asrior admitted, glancing up at him. "I didn't eat at all, if you want to know the truth."

They were walking down the short hall that led to the new wing, and Loki steered her toward the dining room.

"Food will have been left out," he explained. "A repast is readied for when everyone begins trickling back to the castle. The stable hand that has to stay with the animals helps tend the rooms when everyone is gone. It's an unfortunate part of the holiday, though the lad will be well paid for his sacrifice."

As they walked into the dining room, Loki watched Asrior take in the scene before her. A low fire still burned in the fireplace dominating one wall, and a pot was hung over it, brimming with stew. The long table that sat nearby was laden with bread and butter and preserves, cured meats and blocks of cheese, as well as fruit and pastries.

Asrior's hand slid from his arm as she moved further into the room, and she looked over her shoulder at him asking, "How long before people start returning?"

"Tomorrow afternoon at some point," he said, shrugging. "Perhaps even later, depending on when it snows. When it the snow begins to fall, everyone will rush back to the bonfire, for Vatrnaetr will officially end a day later. No one ever wants to miss the last part of the holiday."

Loki sincerely hoped the snow would start quickly, for it would guarantee him more time alone with her. Perhaps he could somehow let her know that he wanted her to stay with him, and if she was of the same mind, then just maybe they could use their time alone to… to…

"You said the air was changing. Do you think it will snow tonight?"

It took him a moment to work out her words, for as Asrior spoke, she unhooked the clasp of her cloak and slid it from her shoulders, revealing the fairy-wing dress from Midgard that clung to the graceful curves of her body.

"I am not sure," he managed after a moment, his mouth turning dry as he watched her. She draped the cloak over the back of a chair and moved to a sideboard where bottles of wine sat along with goblets, the gown shimmering around her as she moved. "If not tonight, then tomorrow I would guess."

She looked over at where he stood. "Aren't you hungry? You did not eat much tonight either."

He had been standing in the same spot as though a statue, and he nodded, trying not to look disconcerted as he moved toward the table.

"Of course," he murmured, realizing after a second that she'd noticed how little he'd eaten. That meant she had to have watched him as closely as he'd watched her. Buoyed by this, he began serving himself a small plate before moving to one of the chairs. As he sat, he forced himself to _think _so that he could find a way to bring the conversation around to how important it was for her to stay at Okershall.

Asrior bought over a bottle of wine and two goblets from the side board, and as she sat next to him, she placed everything on the table. She began to pour drink for both of them, her face set into an almost determined expression as she asked, "Do you find it very tame here, after celebrating Vatrnaetr at court?"

She was sitting very close to him, so close that her knee was pressed into his thigh. Loki's body tingled where it touched, and his eyes kept drifting to the rise of her breasts under the gossamer of her gown. When he finally answered her question, his voice did not sound like his own.

"It is not that tame."

His conversation was still lacking, obviously.

He found that his arm had moved to the back of Asrior's chair, so close to where her hair cascaded over her bare shoulder that he could touch them both if he moved his fingers the barest of fractions. Loki was torn between doing just that and saying something, anything, to get the conversation in the direction that he needed.

Instead of doing either, he reached with his other hand and grabbed the goblet of wine she'd set in front of him, taking a drink, trying not to scowl. His inability to do _anything_ remotely reasonable at the moment was ridiculous.

"Not so tame? Even though there are no goddesses here to steal from Thor?" she was asking, giving him an almost approving look as he drank.

Loki realized that Asrior had leaned back in the chair as she spoke, so that her shoulder was touching his hand, her glorious hair caught between her skin and his. She'd also somehow shifted so that their thighs were aligned, and he could feel his body responding to these simple touches with alarming fervor.

"I do not need to steal goddesses from my brother to entertain myself now," he said, the response almost automatic.

He felt something silky and cool, and he glanced down, surprised. He'd snaked his hand into her hair, winding it around his fingers while his knuckles rested on the back of her shoulder. Asrior noticed his touch, for her eyes flicked down briefly and she licked her lips, as though nervous, but the eyes she raised to his were filled with promise. Loki's stomach clenched at the look in them.

"How do you entertain yourself now?" she asked, the husky tones of her voice reverberating deep inside of him.

Well, he could start by moving his hand to her neck and bending his own to take her mouth, for the invitation in her eyes was unmistakable. Then his other hand could move to her waist, and maybe he could pull her onto his lap. If he did that, then it would be easier to kiss her more deeply and allow his hands to better explore the delicate curves barely hidden under that damned, magnificent dress.

It would not do to give in to his baser impulses, though, for while it would be all too easy to seduce her—especially given the way she looked at him now—it would not solve anything. Loki wanted to bed her, _badly_. It was a burning he could feel in his bones, this need to possess her. But was more than that, for he wanted to experience the light he felt when she lit up with wonder. He craved the sensations she gave him when she came alive, and he thought that if he could become a physical part of her, he might keep that feeling with him, always.

And he could not tumble her into bed without her knowing her own mind, for this was not some trivial dalliance at court. This was important. He had to know she came to him of her free will, he had to…

"Loki?"

Asrior's voice drew him from his reverie, and he saw that he was staring at her mouth. He tore his eyes from it, looking up to see that her blue gaze was puzzled.

Only then did he notice that one hand had indeed moved to her neck and the other to her hip, and he had shifted his own body as though to kiss her. But he'd stopped to stare, to _think_, and instead of looking at him with desire, his wife now looked uncertain.

Her tongue darted out, wetting her lips again. When she spoke, her voice was tentative. "You… I mean, I want to…" She paused and sighed, as though gathering her courage.

But before she could speak, Loki's hands moved away from her hip and her hair as though burnt. "Wait," he begged, taking a deep breath of his own, for it took all of his control not to fill the sudden emptiness in his hands with the feel of her. "We need to talk."

Her back stiffened, and she reached for her goblet. "Are going to tell me that I need to decide what I will do once Valtur is dealt with properly? Again?"

She drank deeply from the cup, the eyes that stared at him from over the rim turning mulish.

"No… I mean, yes," he said, trying to explain, for though her annoyance was much more familiar than the desire he'd just seen in them, it made it even harder to speak. He needed her to _understand_."But not just that. I simply think that before we do anything…anything rash…"

"Rash?" The word was quiet.

"Imprudent. Ill-considered." He searched for a way to explain. "If we act without thinking…"

"I know what the word means," she said, her voice turning frigid, and she pushed back from the table, further away from him. "You think it would be unwise to take what I offer."

Loki shook his head, his voice harsher than he intended as he defended himself. "No, that is not what I am saying. You seek to find injury where none is given, Asrior."

"None is given? Then how am I to take your words?"

She was glaring at him, and growing frustrated with both his inability to adequately explain himself and her need to find offense in everything he said, he grated, "Take them for what they mean!"

"You said this would be rash…"

"And so it would be, if you do not know your mind," he injected, trying to keep the heat from his voice. "You must make a decision as to what you wish to do, Asrior, and make it before we…"

"Do anything ill-considered?" She was standing, her blue eyes flashing at him as she worked herself into a greater temper. "Why do you keep doing this? Do you not understand what it is like for me?" Her hands lifted, palms up in desperate appeal as she sought to explain. "I have a real life here. I have friends. I am able to grow things and have animals. I have a freedom that I have never experienced before. I am needed, and useful, and…and I am happy."

"Then why do you find it…" he began, but she was almost wailing, "How can ask me to leave?"

"I am not asking you to leave!" He had to raise his voice to get her to listen, and her face paled as she stared at him. "I simply need to know that you have made the decision yourself."

"You do not tell me to leave directly, but you keep bringing it up!" Asrior lifted her chin and her voice shook. "One minute you are being kind, but as soon as I respond to that—to _you _—you are telling me that I must choose whether I stay or leave. When I ask for your feelings on the matter, you are silent. And you…you talk about this decision with such detachment. What do you think I will feel? I have come to know you, to…to want to be with you. And I want to stay here, more than anything, but how can I do that when you act so indifferent?"

Pushing his own chair back as in frustration, he grated, "How can you say that I am indifferent?"

"What are you, then? I… I have acted as boldly as I know how these past few days, trying to make you understand what I feel. I thought you might feel it too, for you… you gave me a cloak made of Peryton feathers and stars. And yet you pull back from me, always, and now you say that you do not want to do anything _rash_." The words were uneven as her breathing hitched. "I offer myself to lie with you, and you still want me to stop and think. Did you stop and think when you took that…that goddess of Thor's to your bed? Or any of the others? Well, I have considered things, and I _think_ that your feelings are perfectly clear."

"No, I do not think that they are," Loki began roughly, but she was not listening, for she had put her hands over her face as though mortified, turning and rushing out of the room. "Asrior…wait!"

She was moving quickly, though, for she was out the door before he could move.

"Asrior! Stop…please!" Loki managed, almost running to catch up with her.

His wife ignored him, for she was at the stairs and sprinting upward as swiftly as she could in her long dress. He growled and darted after her, vowing to catch her and make her listen to him by force if necessary.

He was almost caught up with her when she stopped, turning so suddenly that she swayed on the step, her eyes widening when she saw that he was close on her heels.

"Oh!" she squeaked, the hands that were fisted at her sides moving out to steady herself.

"Listen to me, Asrior." His words were half demand, half plea as he halted two steps below where she tottered. "I have expressed myself badly…"

"Do you think?" she asked, one of her hands gripping the staircase's golden railing tightly. Her chest was heaving, her eyes filled with a righteous kind of fury as she sputtered, "You…are without question…the stupidest… The most…." Words seemed to fail her, and she actually stamped her foot on the stair in frustration. Some of the holly and fir in her hair slipped, and her hands began to move rapidly in the language she had created with her dwarf.

Loki was almost afraid to move. But her hands stilled their manic movements after a moment, and she stood there, glaring at him.

"It is not fair," he offered slowly, now knowing how to respond. "I do not know what you said."

"I said this." She managed between clenched teeth, moving down a step so that their eyes were even, reaching out, her hands rough against his face as she drew his head to hers. Her lips crashed onto his, hard, as though she was branding him. But almost as soon as he could respond, a moan escaping his throat as his hands moved to her waist, she was pulling back, her eyes still glittering. "You can think to your heart's content, Loki, but you like that. You want that. With me."

"Of course I want that with you," he gritted, tearing his hands from her waist before he started kissing her again. "And if you would stop for one moment and listen to me, elf, you would see that there is no need for such dramatics."

Asrior's eyes began to flash again, but he put up a hand, stopping her before she could start arguing.

"You have explained your feelings. Now I ask that you try to understand what it is like for me." He was breathing heavily, his eyes pleading as he explained, "You know what I was before. You have heard the stories of my behavior, and I can assure you, the reality is worse than the gossip. The honor that I still have left, tainted as it is, is more important to me than you can begin to understand. And when I married you, I did great damage to what I had worked so hard to earn. I knowingly used you, Asrior. You were Valtur's daughter…nothing but a pawn to me, and in that regard, I was no better than your father."

"Loki…" Asrior breathed, her eyes softening slightly.

But he pushed on, for finally the words were on his tongue, and he would be damned if he would stop now.

"Do you know how it felt when you were attacked? To see what Valtur did to you? To fully understand what I had done?" He took a deep breath, for it was his turn for his voice to grow unsteady. "Even before I knew the truth, I could not help but admire your spirit. And then I understood the true depth of it, and…and how astonishing you really are. You are so brave and strong and good, and I tricked you once—willfully and knowingly. I cannot in good conscience say anything to influence your decision, not now. You must understand that I _need_ to know that you have made your choice freely. I cannot allow my own desires to affect your decision, not this time."

She was staring at him, and though her eyes still glittered, the anger seemed to have drained from them.

"What," she began, her tongue darting over her lips once more. "What exactly are your desires, Loki? You see, I need to know that. I need to know if you want me to stay."

"I have tried to show you," he explained, shocked that she did not understand, for at times he thought he had been painfully obvious. "Even before I fully understood what I was doing."

"The Habroks?" she whispered. "My mother's name on the boulders?"

"Among other things that you said I should do, yes," he injected, his brow knitting as he stared at her, for she looked almost surprised at his words.

Her mouth opened and then shut, and when it opened again, she sounded odd. "What did I say you should do?"

"The day Hlin taught you to dance, you said you wanted sonnets. I gave you a book of them," he began, but Asrior's brow flew up as she pointed out, "But I would not have known that came from had Hlin not told me."

"But it was still from me. He had chosen something called _A Warrior's Worship_, you see, and I thought to do you a favor by suggesting something you wanted instead," he explained. "The fact that I chose sonnets written by a mortal should tell you of my regard for the work. They are brilliant. I wanted you to read them."

She blinked. "But you still did not give them to me, not directly."

"Well then, I have danced with you," he defended hotly. "Can you deny that I did that?"

"No." Asrior's face was shifting. "I cannot deny that you danced with me. But you have not sung to me. I believe that was one of my requirements."

He could feel a nerve twitch in his jaw. "I sang to you on Midgard, after your nightmare. Or I hummed at least. I thought that might count."

"And the cat?" she asked, and he saw that her body was very still, as though she held her breath.

Hope blossomed in his chest, and his voice was rough as he said, "Asrior, I allow multiple versions of them to roam my castle, including my workroom. They have taken over the settee that I call bed now. And I am kind to them. I even pet them on occasion of my own free will, despite the fact that the only one of the creatures worth anything is Sazur." Her eyes had grown large. His eyes narrowed as he added, "But I refuse to carry one of them in a basket decorated with ribbons, even for you. Surely you were jesting about that aspect of courtship."

Something very close to amazement took over her face. "I… I think I understand now."

"Do you?" he asked, his heart hammering. "Because I cannot stress enough my interest in knowing what choice you will make."

He was clenching and unclenching a fist, and when Asrior moved down another step so that she was closer to him, he felt her fingers slide over his, stilling his hand. Her twilight-blue eyes still held his, and she was looking at him as though he was one of her stars.

"I choose to stay with you, Loki."

He did not realize that he held his breath until she spoke. But when his name left her lips, he took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, his fingers wrapping tightly around hers in relief.

Loki wanted to tell her more then, wanted to say everything he'd been afraid to until that moment, but before he could speak, he felt a tug on his hand. Asrior had turned and was moving back up the steps, pulling him up behind her. He followed wordlessly as she walked upwards, her steps deliberate as they moved across the hall, and then into her chambers.

When the door slid shut behind them, she loosened her hand slightly and simply gazed up at him, her voice soft as she said, "You are my husband."

His throat was dry as he stared back at her, and his heart stuttered in his chest, for it was somehow hard to believe that she had made her choice. That she had chosen him, and that she would stay and live with him now. That they had changed…

"Loki?"

Asrior's voice held the smallest hint of laughter in it.

"What?" he asked, dragging his eyes to hers.

She was biting her lips, her face a mixture of embarrassment and amusement as she asked, "Do you need me to draw pictures?"

The words snapped him from his trance. "No," he assured her roughly, his hands moving to pull her towards him. "Most assuredly not."

Then all thought was blotted out, for he was kissing her, and kissing Asrior without restraint was glorious. He could press her body against his, his hand sliding down her back as he opened her mouth with his own. When their tongues meshed, and she moaned in her throat, he could answer by weaving his hands through her hair until his fingers were spread against the back of her neck. He could tilt her head back even further, deepening the kiss. He could feel the hands that were clinging to his shoulders move to push into the hair at his neck.

Only that wasn't enough. Loki wanted to taste more than her mouth, so he pulled his lips away from hers. Asrior mewled in protest, but only briefly, for she seemed to like it when his mouth moved to her neck. When he pushed her hair aside to trace the delicate skin below her ear with his tongue, she sighed, and when he scraped the same spot with his teeth, the fingers twisted into his own hair tugged hard. When he pressed his lips onto the small red mark he made on her skin, kissing a path down to the slope of her collarbone, she breathed his name with such longing that his knees actually felt weak.

"What?" Loki asked against her skin, his voice thick with his own desire. "What do you want, Asrior?"

Only he didn't give her time to answer before taking her mouth again, kissing her over and over as one of his hands moved to cradle her face.

She seemed to want to get closer to him, for her own hands were sliding over his shoulders and down his chest, her arms snaking around his waist to pull him tighter against her. He could feel her breasts pressed against him, and then her thighs. The hand Loki held at her back loosened its grip on her hair, moving downward so that he pressed her hips to his own.

Pulling away from her mouth, Loki growled, "Do you understand how I feel now?" His breathing was harsh as he stared down at her, and his fingers slid from her face, trailing down her neck and over the silky material covering her breast before settling at the small of her back. He pushed her even closer so that her effect on his body was obvious.

The black of Asrior's pupils seemed to have taken over her eyes, and as she gazed up at him, a corner of her mouth tilted upwards. Slowly, she moved one of her hands so that it rested briefly on his stomach, and as she took a deep breath, she moved back slightly and lowered it, her touch tentative as she spread her fingers around his erection.

"You…certainly do not feel indifferent." Her cheeks had turned red, and she looked extraordinarily pleased with herself for being so bold. Her exploration turned more assured, too, and Loki could not help the groan that tore from his throat.

He tilted his forehead so that it rested on to top of her head, and his eyes closed as the most exquisite feelings shot into his blood. "Did you learn this from one of those wretched books?" he rasped, his hands moving along her back in search of a way to loosen her dress.

"Yes." Asrior's mouth was against his throat, and her voice sounded as rough as his. "Some of the passages were not entirely unworthy."

Her hand moved from him, and he could not help the frustrated sound he made, both at the absence of her touch and the fact that he still could not find the ties that would allow him to unclothe her.

"How do you get this vile thing off?"

The words surprised him, for he had not spoken. But Asrior was tugging at the leather strap of his coat than ran from one shoulder and across his chest, biting her lip as she tried to find a way to undo it.

"There's a buckle," Loki instructed gruffly just as her fingers fell upon it. And as she began to work at it, he moved so that he could quickly undo the metal guards strapped to his arms. Asrior pulled the strap lose as he finished, and then she pushed at the coat so that it followed the metal he had shed, falling onto the floor.

Asrior's fingers began sliding along his leather undershirt, searching for a way to remove it. Her eyes were narrowed, the look of concentration on her face so intense that Loki found himself smiling.

"Here." He moved so that he spoke against her hair, just above her ear, pulling one of her hands to reach under the flap where the shirt's buttons sat. He leaned back then, his own hands making brief work of the holly and fir in her hair before he renewed his search for a way to get her out her dress.

By the time his shirt was loosened and stripped from his back, the leather hitting the ground, Loki's mouth was on hers again, and Asrior's hands were sliding along his chest and around his shoulders as she pressed her body against his skin.

For a moment, Loki was aware of nothing but the taste of her tongue, of the thrust of her breasts through the gossamer crushed against his chest, of the way the silken material slid over the sweet curve of her bottom when he stroked his hand down to her thigh. She was intoxicating, and he wanted to…to devour her, to consume every part of her.

But he could not do that if she were still clothed.

"Your gown," he managed, speaking against her mouth. "I cannot seem to get it off of you."

"Oh." Asrior pulled back, her face delightfully flushed. "There's a zip on the side…right here."

Loki finally found the wretched thing, almost tearing the thin material in his haste to slide it down. But soon enough, it was undone, and his hands were at her shoulders, pushing the gown over her arms until the top was bunched at her waist. He made short work of sliding the rest of it over her hips, and as the shimmering material pooled at her feet, he pulled back to look at her.

His breath caught in his throat. Asrior's body was small and delicate, but she was even more perfectly formed than he had conjured in his dreams. The graceful slopes of her hips and breasts were hugged by Midgardian undergarments made of rose-colored lace so sheer that little was left to his imagination. A part of Loki's mind recorded such marvelous contraptions alongside sonnets as the few mortal items of worth. But he was also so hard that the ache that had once been pleasurable began to hurt. He had to have her, soon, or he feared he would explode.

Asrior was watching him with eyes that blended shyness with desire, and as she licked her lips yet again, he grunted and moved to pick her up into his arms.

"Bed," he managed as her arms wound around his neck, for enough was enough. It was time…past time to assuage the hunger that had held him in its grips for what felt like an eternity.

As he moved across the room, she tightened her arms, her lips sliding along his jaw. Her breasts were crushed against his chest, and he could feel her nipples hardening into pebbles against his skin.

He almost dumped her onto her bed, so much was his haste to rid himself of the rest of his clothing. Asrior did not seem to mind, for she scooted to its center, her eyes still that endearing mix of nervousness and anticipation. And in a minute, he'd managed to wrangle free of his boots and pants so that he could join her.

Asrior had moved so that she was lying against the bed's pillows, and she watched him with shining eyes as he stretched out beside her. Her gaze roamed over his entire body, despite her obvious shyness. Loki propped himself up on an arm, his free hand moving so that his fingers could twine themselves in the hair that fell like a curtain of fire over her shoulders.

"You're sure?" he asked, wanting to take the words back almost immediately for he did not want her to change her mind.

Asrior's eyes held his, her fingers trailing along his chest, leaving a trail of fire as they moved. Her voice was a whisper as she admitted, "I am sure that I want to be with you, Loki. But I am not sure what I should do to…"

But her words were lost under his mouth, for he pressed his lips to hers briefly, pulling back after a moment to assure her gruffly, "You are doing fine so far."

And then he was kissing her again, and his hands were roaming over skin in ways he had only imagined before. At some point, they sank further onto the bed, and he found the clasp that hooked the lace encasing her breasts, opening it and pulling it from her body; and then his fingers were there, worshiping her, along with his mouth and tongue and teeth.

She was exploring him just as freely. And though Asrior's touch was sometimes uncertain, her passion was real and unfettered, and it was for _him_. Her pleasure in touching him, in lying skin to skin against him was writ in her eyes and hands and in the sounds she made.

When she moaned his name, filled with want and promise, it affected Loki in ways he had never experienced. Every breath…every sound and every sigh seared through him, settling deep in his bones. And when his hands moved to the lace at her hips, sliding it down her legs, the look in Asrior's eyes as she gazed up at him was nearly his undoing.

She was his wife, and despite everything he had done, she had secured her life to his by her own choice. This joining was not mere rutting or…or base physical exertions to slake his lust. It was much more, and the experience was so different than anything he had ever known—so new and exquisite—that Loki found it difficult to breathe.

But he could move, and as he shifted to lie on top of her, her legs bent and opened for him, cradling him against her body. Her hands moved to frame his face, and her lips parted with something like wonder when she felt him pressing into her center. Loki lowered his mouth to hers, his arms balancing his body above her.

"Loki," she breathed against him, her hands moving around his neck and down his back, goose bumps flowering over his skin in their wake. "I want to feel you inside of me."

His head dipped to her shoulder. "You are so impatient, Asrior. Enjoy this."

Asrior sounded breathless, and one of her legs moved so that it was wrapped around his waist. "I would enjoy this more if you were inside of me."

He moaned, unable to hold back any longer. Pushing his hands into her hair, Loki raised his head, watching her face as he slowly sank into her.

"Oh…" her eyes fluttered closed for a moment as she adjusted to the feel of him inside of her. When she opened her eyes, she gazed into his, her face bloomed with pleasure. "I was right…"

Loki wanted to ask if she meant that she liked it more now that they were fully joined, but he was too busy feeling to form words. He had not wanted to enjoy it before, when he'd so briefly lain with her in consummation of their marriage, but the memory of how pleasing she felt had stayed with him. And now, even as something uncomfortable twisted his chest at that recollection, feeling took over, pushing everything away. The earlier pleasure was with him again, the exquisite torture of being inside of her body. She was so…so hot and tight, and it felt so _good _that he was beyond thinking.

But it was even better now, for when he began moving, sliding deeper and deeper as he found a steady rhythm, Loki could touch her without restrictions. He could lift himself up so that he could look at her, slide a hand along her waist until he covered one of her small and perfect breasts with his palm, watching as her eyes filled with such pleasure that they became unfocused. When Asrior moved her hands to frame his face, moaning his name, he could turn to press his lips against her palm, and then lower himself so that his mouth was on hers again

He could kiss her, deeply and roughly, mimicking the movements of his body with his tongue; and when both of her legs slid over his back, her thighs gripping him hard, he could moan and tear his mouth away to press it along her neck until it was at her shoulder. Then he could run his teeth over the skin there, all the time trying to bury himself so deeply within her that he became a part of her.

Asrior must have liked their joining as well, for she was clinging to his shoulders, his name like a prayer on her lips. Her eyes were heavy with desire, her lips swollen and wet, and he found that he was taking her hands in his, stretching their arms out above her head and twining their fingers together.

Loki managed to whisper her name as he gazed into her eyes, for he wanted her to see what she did to him. "You… you are…"

"Yes, Loki?" she breathed, her head falling back. And when she moved her legs and arched her body so that he sank even deeper, her mouth opened and a look of such pleasure filled her eyes that Loki lost control.

His mouth was at her neck, gasping into it as his body slammed into hers, his fingers gripping hers so tightly that it felt as though bone lay against bone. He thought he said 'beautiful' as he crashed into her, but he was not sure. All he knew was that a part of him hoped he did not hurt her, so violent was his release.

But Asrior was not injured, for as he collapsed against her, she began whispering against his hair, the gentle words given in between soft sighs and feather-light kisses. Somehow, she loosened her hands from his and drew them down so that her arms wrapped around him, hugging him to her tightly.

He did not know how much time passed, but eventually, Loki managed to push himself up a little so that his weight was not fully on her.

"I'm must be crushing you," he murmured, his voice gruff and sated.

Asrior smiled slightly. "I do not mind."

Her arms were still locked around him, and she looked so pleased that Loki found himself kissing her again. One of his hands moved to stroke the hair away from her face as he teased her mouth open, beginning a leisurely exploration with his tongue. His hand trailed down her neck as their mouths worked together, ending at her breast. His fingers began making a study of it, slowly tracing its shape, then circling the nipple before rubbing the hard tip of it as though memorizing its feel.

He had never done this before, this seeking of sexual contact so soon after he had reached completion. But he could not stop touching Asrior. Even when she began grinning against his mouth, he did not move away, instead pulling at her lower lip gently with his teeth when her smile made kissing impossible.

"What?" he asked, sliding his tongue against the spot where her mouth lifted upward. His hand moved as well, trailing along her waist to gently grasp her hip. "What is so amusing?"

"I am hungry now," she said, her grin growing wider when her stomach actually growled. "I have not eaten since midday."

Sighing, Loki pressed his lips to hers again briefly, and then loosened her arms from around him and rolled from her. "You require food now?"

She nodded.

He pushed so that he was sitting up. "Do want to get dressed and come down to the dining room with me?"

"I am fine staying here alone, if you do not mind going down," she said, and he saw that her cheeks were pink again as watched him.

Smirking as he slid to the edge of the bed, he asked, "Will you ever stop blushing at the sight of naked skin?"

Her face went even redder, and the belligerent look she flashed at him was familiar. "I have not your experience bedding thousands of goddesses. This is a new experience for me."

"I have not bedded thousands of goddesses," he defended, fishing his pants from the floor. "You exaggerate."

"Hundreds, then," she said. He pulled his pants on without comment, and after a moment, her voice sounding peculiar, she asked, "Is it really hundreds?"

He pursed his lips as though thinking. "Eight hundred, seventy six. Actually, that would be seventy seven now."

A glance over her shoulder saw that her eyes were wide with either amazement or shock, though when she saw the look on his face, they narrowed.

"You are not the only one allowed to tease, elf." His smirk grew wider, and as he turned to the door, he asked, "Is there anything specific you would like me to bring up for you?"

"More wine with the food, for now that I am to stay married to you, I fear that I shall need it," she answered from her spot on the bed behind him, and then a pillow hit him hard in the back of the head. "And pastries."

His hand was on the door as he looked over his shoulder at her. She was kneeling in the middle of the bed holding another pillow in front of her as though a shield, her hair a wild tangle over her shoulders.

"You did not say please."

Asrior rolled her eyes. "Please."

"Such graciousness."

She launched the second pillow at him, and when he casually flicked a hand so that it fell to the floor halfway between the bed and door, she sniffed and scrambled under the bedcovers. "I am unimpressed."

"You are actually _very_ impressed," he said, giving her one last look before he went through the door. "And it really is only six hundred, forty two. Including you. I am not quite as accomplished as you assume."

Loki was through the door before she could respond, though he swore he heard the soft thump of a pillow against it as it clicked shut.

* * *

And now for very late comments! Sorry about the delay. Just my schedule this week was busy!

**KuramaxChan** – Et merci de ne pas prendre soin de ma réponse à vos commentaires qui disent via google translate :). Merci aussi pour vos commentaires cette mise à jour ... Loki a fait faire un bon travail contre Valtur, mais comment pourrait-il répondre à plus tard, lorsque très dramatique bouger les choses? ;)

**OswinOswald**–I hope the wait for Chapter 21 wasn't too long!

**NoVacancyMind**–I really love how you described Loki and Hogun, their switching places for a bit (Loki the Grim, Hogun the Mischievous). You shall see very soon (almost as soon as I update this chapter with these comments) how Loki the Disapproving Parent responds to Hlin and his, erm...new girl. :D. Loki is indeed a lovable idiot, and I do not think he is done having to visit Alflyse's court to talk about/to Valtur. And thank you, as always, for reviewing!

**Candy flaps **–The Queen will indeed have more to say/do. And as I said just above, Loki's going to have to see her again. Perhaps sooner than he thinks or plans. I hope you liked the seduction scene, though it was really more of a fumbling confession of sorts on both of their parts. They are so...not used to what's happening to them ;). OH, and one more thing, you will notice that Loki does indeed have a thing for scanty undergarments of the Midgardian variety. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoy what's up next!

**BlooAngels **–Heh, Loki took Asrior's hints all right...you see that he remembered all of them and did his best in his Loki way to fulfill her requirements (minus the cat in a basket). You're right about the silver tongue escaping Loki when he most needs it, at least when it comes to saying something important. It's easy to be glib when you have little emotional investment—but I think that Loki's gift for speaking will come in handy at times, and though he will not be poetic or elegant, he will manage to get his point across. :D. And I refuse to say anything else, because it would be spoilery. Thanks for reviewing and reading, and here's to updates!

**SissyPeregrin **–Thank you very much for your kind words, though I'm afraid there might be a cliffhanger or two yet on their way;).

**HarryPotterFreakie**-Thank you for your review! It made me laugh. Asrior agrees with you on the 'keep fucking' by the way, kdjfa;sklsa. As Loki will say, he's unleashed a monster.

**Mr-Stark-21 **–thank you so very much for the nice words last update. I know that I sometimes stop chapters so that they're cliffies, and I have to warn you that it will happen again. And perhaps again ;). I really hope you enjoyed the culmination of all of that sexual tension...and how it continues in the next update (the culmination, that it, as some of the tension has been released). Loki will meet up with Valtur and Alflyse again, even before any final confrontation...the Queen just might know more than she lets on, though she has politics to play on her own realm and can't just willy nilly kick bad elves to the curb. The weight of the crown and all. And you will soon see more of Hlin and Larson, and court will be...erm...interesting jakdfljasl;j;. !

**ykrothe**–Here finally is the sweet romancing, lol. And a bit more in the next update. Yes, my updates are less frequent. Just the way my schedule has been with summer starting. And a heads up, I'll be away a bit this week and will take my laptop but do not know how much writing I will get done. We're going canoeing this week for a few days, and though I always have grand plans on such trips for hanging out in the outdoors while I peacefully write (with a glass of wine), it never happens. Thanks for the review, and here's to quicker updates.

**Kaitred** –Thank you very much for your review! Yes, our little elf is reading Loki (as she understands his 'stuck with an elf' comment this next update). Loki will continue to slowly unmask his emotions...he...both of them, actually, are using playful behavior and joking to kind of say what they really want to say. They'll get better at expressing themselves. Eventually :D.

**sidlewild **–As you can see, they've sorted things out. That doesn't mean everything will go smoothly, but they've established (in this update and the next one) a pretty firm want to be with the other. Thanks very much for your kind words, and I hope you like what's in store up the road.

**mewlingq**–Prepare for more torment, for there are more cliffies ahead. Still, I'm glad you liked the last one...hope you liked this one...and hope you continue to like the trouble that gets stirred up ahead (by Lorelei and others...). Thank you very much for reviewing. I hope you nerves catch a bit of a break during the lemons!

**Kaykay0013**–Thanks so very much for your review! Loki is being a little less stupid. He will occasionally be stupid, though, just a warning! I hope you liked this update :D.

**shelly**–Oh dear oh dear oh dear, their wedding night. That has yet to be addressed, though it *did* briefly cross Loki's mind. He's a male though and was focused on the sex happening then rather than the sex that happened months before. He'll...have to think about it at some point, and yes, he will be extremely, erm... you shall see. Though he did show her (multiple times) the proper ways to enjoy physical lovemaking. And we'll have to see what happens when Asrior and Loki go to court. Erm...definitely potential for strife, that's all I'll say about that. Thank you very much for reviewing!

**London calling**—Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you liked Larson (she's seen more this next update), and the Elf Queen. I hope you liked the updates that follow!

**amakitkat**—As you can see, the smut finally happened! And thank you for 'that bitch ass elf' re: Valtur, that made my laugh. I hope you liked the lemon, and continue to enjoy the smutmaking ahead ;). Thanks for reviewing!

**Sweets1111**–Oh, I am really happy to hear you get excited when you get the email notifications. I know the feeling from other fics, and it means a lot to hear it said about mine! I'm glad you liked the last update, and I sincerely hope you enjoy the new developments in Asrior and Loki's relationship. Thanks for your comments!

I get incredibly excited each time I receive an email notification of an update :) This chap was great as usual. I love that Loki and Asrior relationship is finally moving to a new level.

**CeliaSingsSongs**—Thank you very much for reviewing! Hogun is amazing, isn't he? I hope you enjoyed the outcome of Hogun's maneuvering! And I hope you enjoyed the next update (and the next).

**Zippythewondersquirrel **–First, thank you very much for your review! I'm glad you liked the bit about the cloak clasp. And Larson. And Hogun...you are right, he *would* have pursued Asrior himself, but realizes that she and Loki already had feelings for the other. And he did enjoy that bit of payback for when Loki made him worry about Vedis. I hope you liked the lemon, and I really hope you like the, erm, stuff that will happen in the next few chapters!

**MutiaRAWR **–Thanks very much for your review! I hope you liked this update and I really hope you like what's ahead ;).


	24. Chapter 23-Unleashed

A/N-Thanks everyone for reading, and reviewing, and following! Your comments truly make it easier to write, and I always look forward to your reactions!

Just a few quick things...I updated the last chapter with comments at the end a little while ago. I'm sorry I was so late, but my schedule was a bit nuts this past week.

I'm not sure when I'll get to update again, as I'll be away a bit this week. I'll have my laptop, but might not get much done while I'm away. But I'll try to get stuff done before I'm gone to make up.

I hope you liked the last lemon, and this one. This chapter is another 'M' one to be sure. Though there's a bit of plot in here as well, not just smut (not that there's anything wrong with smut at all!).

Thanks again for reading, everyone. Let me know what you think!

* * *

**Chapter 23-Unleashed**

Asrior pulled on the silk robe she bought on Midgard, dashing into the bathroom as soon as the door shut behind Loki. When she caught her reflection in the mirror, she was surprised at her appearance. She looked well and truly bedded—her lips appeared almost bruised, there were fading red marks on her neck, and her hair resembled a bright red bird's nest.

But though she looked a mess, she found that she did not mind, and she was humming to herself when she made it back into the bedroom.

Loki returned soon after, several cats running into the room with him when he entered. Despite her teasing earlier, he bought wine and pastries along with the rest of the food. Soon a table was pulled up to the settee, with bread and cheese spread out upon it, as well as cold pieces of meat and fruit.

They both lounged on the settee, Asrior leaning against Loki's side as he pressed different kinds of food into her hands.

"I'm stuffed, truly I am," she protested after a while, when he offered her another sweet roll. "If I continue to eat like this, I shall grow fat."

"I merely wish to ensure that you maintain your energy," he said, sounding imperious. "I plan on keeping you awake for much of the night."

His hand was under the edge of her robe, his fingers stroking the bare skin of her knee. Indeed, Loki had not ceased touching her since he arrived with the food, and she was no better with him.

"You will not allow me to sleep?" she asked, her own hand wrapped around his upper arm, for the feel of the muscle under his silken white skin fascinated her.

"Perhaps a little," Loki conceded. "You are, as you said, unused to such activity."

Sazur jumped onto the settee, walking onto Asrior's lap and butting the hand on her knee with his head. Loki sighed, his fingers sliding away from her skin until they were scratching the cat's ears.

"He wants more scraps," Asrior said, leaning her head against Loki's shoulder, closing her eyes.

"You should not spoil them so," he chided softly, but she felt him move, and then there was the sound of something plunking onto the floor just before Sazur jumped from her knees.

"Yes, Loki," she said obediently, drawing her knees up to better curl against him.

Her husband snorted. "You are humoring me. You will continue to indulge the creatures shamelessly."

"Mmmmm," Asrior agreed. It was difficult to talk, for Loki had moved his hand up to play with her hair. He seemed to enjoy touching it, and the feeling of his fingers running gently though the strands was so lovely that it was hard to concentrate on anything else. His movements were slow and gentle, and soon it was impossible to open her eyes, even when she heard his voice next to her ear, saying her name.

She must have fallen asleep, for the next thing she knew, she was on the bed, curled under the silken coverlet. As she came to waking, Asrior realized that she was naked, and Loki was sitting beside her. The hair on the back of her neck was pricking, and she rolled over find his gaze on her.

"You are watching me sleep?" Her voice husky was from slumber, and she raised a hand to push the curtain of red hair that fell across her face.

"I tried to read," he offered, indicating the book sitting on his other side. He was propped against the headboard, the bed's coverlet loosely draped across his lap.

"Tried?" Asrior pushed up so that she was sitting, dragging the blanket up to her chest.

Loki nodded. "Yes, I tried, but you intrude on my thoughts."

"Really?" Her stomach fluttered, a satisfaction that was wholly feminine filling her. "What were you thinking?"

"I was wondering what I am to do now that I am saddled with an easily-offended elf whose tongue is too sharp for her own good," he grumbled, giving her an appraising look. "You are very small, too."

Warmth flooded Asrior's chest, for she understood that Loki often resorted to games when his emotions ran high. So she tried not to smile, casting down her eyes in mock regret instead as she scooted closer to him.

"I am very grateful that you are willing to keep me with you," she said, her voice soft.

"Do not forget your cats." He glanced at the end of the bed. Her robe was draped across it, and Asrior saw that Odd and Orr had curled up on it. "They are even more willful than you are."

She allowed a corner of her mouth to lift as she placed her fingers on his chest. "Perhaps it is unfair of me to encumber you. I fear you have made a poor bargain in taking me." Sighing in pretend remorse, she traced a line to his shoulder, adding, "You are right that I am small. And I have no power, and you… You are…"

"Yes?" he asked, shifting so that he faced her more fully. "What am I?"

"You are very powerful." Her languid smile was filled with satisfaction. "And very, very beautiful."

Loki looked highly intrigued. "Beautiful?"

She nodded. "Do you not know your own splendor?" Asrior's fingertips were lightly tracing the corded muscles of his arm. "You are like a sculpture. Everything about you is sharp, like a knife edge, but smooth, too. And sometimes I feel as though an animal lives in you, coiled up, waiting to spring. You are the most…refined threat to my existence that I have ever seen." Her fingers moved to his cheekbones, and she smiled warmly as she whispered, "Your face is lovely as well. You are so finely made that goddesses must weep that they do not possess your looks. But your eyes save you from womanly beauty—for they are as dangerous as a storm."

His hand was at the top of the coverlet where she held it under her arms, gently tugging it down so that it was on her lap. "Tell me more."

She was very aware that his eyes had moved down to her breasts, and she pulled the cover back up. "Your skin looks like silk," she continued, trying not to blush over her nakedness as her hand moved to his neck before running down his chest again. "I want to touch it—and when I do, it is as silken as it looks, but your body is hard. Strong…"

Loki pulled the coverlet back down.

Asrior pulled it back up, doggedly continuing, "I cannot help but think that you have gotten the worse of our bargain, for I am not nearly so perfect. We have gone over my size, but there is also…"

"You were talking about my beauty," he said, tugging the blanket. "And stop covering yourself."

The silk fell onto her lap again. "Why?" She hoped her face was not as red as it felt. "I am chilled."

"No you are not. There is no need to be shy in front of me, Asrior, not now." Loki frowned slightly. "You are bold with your words but will not let me see you. Is this because of your scars?"

"No! No, not really…" She took a deep breath. "My front is not scarred much, after all. Just where the arrow went through."

"Then what do you mean, not really?" Loki had his imperious look on his face again. "If the scars bother you, cease worrying. They are nothing to me, if you are fearful of my opinion."

"It's not them…" she began, but paused when she took in his words. "Do you really not mind them? They are most…unsightly, from what I have seen."

"They are but a small part of you." He put a hand on her cheek, as Asrior's breath caught in her throat, for the haughty look on his face was gone, replaced by an almost bashful tenderness. "And they are proof of your strength and of your ability to endure. They are a proof of who you are, and that cannot be unsightly in my eyes."

Asrior began to smile, though when Loki's eyes drifted back to her breasts, she had to fight the urge not to pull the covers back up. "But they are not what bother me. Not…not as much…"

"As much as what?" His eyes were back on hers, looking confused.

"Well… as you said, I am very small."

Loki looked even more baffled. "Yes. You are small. I still do not understand."

Asrior was trying not to frown. "You do not like small."

"Whatever gave you that idea?" He was now looking at her as though she'd sprouted a second head.

The frown broke free. "Hogun talked about his time at court, and he told Hlin about you. He talked of Amazons. And... and he described the goddess you took from Thor in great detail. She was tall. And she was possessed of a figure rivaling Lorelei's, a goddess whose... whose _abundance_ loads of gods are most familiar with..."

"You should not listen to Hogun," Loki interrupted, his own cheeks now tinted pink. "If he said that I only desire such…"

"Even if I did not hear him, I would still feel this way. I have always felt this way around you," Asrior confessed. The truth was humiliating, but she forced herself to continue, for she knew that honesty was vital to their continued union. "I know that you enjoyed lying with me earlier, but you forget that I was at court. I heard tale of your exploits before, and you did not have a reputation of seeking out small and slightly built goddesses to take to your bed."

To her astonishment, Loki began to grin. "You are jealous."

"I am not," she lied, her noble intentions about honesty wobbling as heat took over her face. And hitching the covers firmly up to her chin, she insisted, "I am simply uncomfortable because I am not tall and buxom. I have… well, I have small breasts…"

So swiftly that she gasped, Loki pulled the covers away from them both entirely and grasped her waist, pulling her so that she was lying on the bed.

"You are right, I did not seek out small goddesses before." He was half-lying on his side, propped up on an arm, one of his legs over hers, pinning them down "But as you have been to court, you will notice the decided _lack _of such there. Asgardians are rarely little or slight. My past has no bearing on the fact that I consider small to be entirely satisfying. And as far as your breasts, I find them especially beguiling."

"I… I do not want you to think that I seek out compliments," Asrior muttered, though her heart fluttered at the look on his face. And she could not help but asking, "My body pleases you?"

Loki's eyes swept over her. "Very much. In fact…" His hand moved to her hip, shifting her so that she could feel the proof of his arousal against her stomach. "I would like to make inordinate use of it. I only mention your size because I am unaccustomed to such delicacy. I do not want to hurt you."

The flutter in her heart expanded so that it took over her stomach as well. "I am small, but I am very strong, you know," she whispered, her hands moving to his shoulders. "You will not hurt me, Loki. Quite the opposite, I think."

"Can you be certain of that?" He lowered himself so that when he next spoke, his mouth was against her neck. "This does not hurt?"

"Of course not." She smiled, sliding her fingers into his hair.

His teeth were next, biting gently at the junction of her neck and shoulder. "Now?"

Asrior shook her head, breathing, "I like that."

"Do you? And now?" His voice was gruff and curious, and he shifted slightly, biting again, the sting sharper.

Arching her back in answer, Asrior sighed. One of her legs escaped from under his and bent so that her toes slid along the silken sheet below her. Loki lifted his head as she moved, and a hand closed around her breast, feeling the weight of it.

His eyes were heavy as he looked down at her, and he lifted a brow in question. "You like this?"

She smiled and the fingers in his hair moved to scrape along his scalp.

He continued to watch her, deliberately moving his hand so that it covered her breast. A heavy knot of desire began to coil in Asrior's stomach, and her eyes moved to watch as he slowly slid his palm over her hardening nipple.

Then he shifted his hand, sliding a thumb over the rosy peak before gently tugging on it with his fingers.

"This as well?"

She nodded, heat pooling in her center when he began to tug harder, and she lifted her gaze to his. "Yes. I like that very… Ohhh…"

He bent his head, and before she knew what was happening, Loki replaced fingers with teeth. His eyes were still on her, though, watching her expression as he grazed her nipple. Asrior's gaze, however, went hazy at the pleasure the sensations caused.

"That does not hurt?" he asked, barely lifting his head as he spoke.

"Noooo… that is..." she began, her breath hitching when she felt his tongue slide over the sensitive flesh. "Oh…. that is…"

"What?" Loki moved so that he hovered over her other breast, and his breath was hot against her skin.

"This is quite… _ohhhh_…" Both of her hands were twisted in his hair, holding his head to her, for he had begun suckling, drawing her deeper and deeper into his mouth.

The feelings spiraling through her stomach were growing, making Asrior's entire body quiver. When Loki shifted, unpinning her leg as he let go of her breast, she protested, moaning as she asked, "Why are you stopping?"

"Because…" His lips made a path along her collarbone as his hand traced across her stomach, "I have established the ways in which I can touch your neck and breasts to give you pleasure without hurting you. But there is more of you to experiment with."

"Experim…"

Asrior did not complete the word, for Loki was kissing her again, deeply. She responded immediately, her hands pressing into his back. When he began sucking on her tongue so that he drew it into his mouth, and she moaned, arching her back and drawing both knees toward her stomach.

Loki lifted his head as she moved, murmuring, "Don't," before sliding his tongue along her bottom lip.

"Don't what?" she asked, her voice rough, pulling at him so that he would kiss her again.

But he was stroking the inside of her thigh.

"Don't close your legs. You have to tell me what you like here," he whispered against her mouth.

She immediately opened for him, sighing as his hand slid along her other thigh, tracing a pattern before skimming over the curls that lay nestled between her legs. He pressed a hard kiss to her mouth, his fingers moving to a spot so sensitive that she gasped against him.

"Ohhhh," she managed, a part of her thinking that she should find another word to express her enjoyment. But soon thought was impossible—and most of her speech with it—for his fingers were slowly circling, stroking, building to a cadence that made her body feel on fire.

"You like that?" His voice was rough, his teeth pulling at her bottom lip.

Asrior thought she might have nodded, but she wasn't sure, for he moved so that the heel of his hand rubbed against her. She felt his fingers spreading her, one of them pushing into her body.

The rush of feelings was almost overwhelming, and her hips moved against his hand in a desperate effort to give ease to the rising tension that filled her.

"_Loki_…"

He was pressing short kisses to her neck, rasping, "I'm not hurting you?"

Shaking her head, she grasped his shoulders roughly. "No…"

He smiled against her. "You like this?"

"I think we have established that," Asrior managed, one of her hands falling weakly to the mattress as she rocked her hips against the wanton pressure of his hand.

She was amazed that she could speak, for it felt as though her body wasn't hers to control anymore. All feeling was centered on the spot where his hand moved, overwhelming sensations that were building into something almost impossible to comprehend. Surely the pressure couldn't keep mounting. It was as though she was turning to liquid, and everything was so hot—she would explode, she was sure of it, and she would _scream _if he stopped…

The hand on his shoulder raked over it and down his back as his mouth latched onto the rise of a breast, biting and then licking along the skin there. And as she moaned, a thought so captivating occurred to her that it was impossible not to ask, "Will you use your teeth and tongue to experiment between my legs?"

The sound Loki made against her was a cross between a groan and laugh, and his voice sounded strained. "Perhaps next time." Then he moved his hand, and before she could voice her objection, his thighs were between her legs, the long and hard length of him pressing insistently into her center. "I do not think this can wait."

_This _was plunging into her so hard that a breathless gasp was torn from her throat. Loki groaned raggedly, pushing up slightly on his arms as he began moving, and the feelings that had so consumed her when he touched her with his hand grew even stronger.

Asrior had half wondered if the sensations he had just caused would cease when he entered her body, for as wonderful as their earlier joining had been, it had not been like this. This was…indescribable. It was engulfing. It overwhelmed every part of her.

And it was almost frightening, for she had no idea what would happen. Asrior first thought she would splinter into two pieces, but when Loki moved deeper and faster, she knew that she would leave thousands of little bits of her everywhere.

Everything was spiraling tighter and tighter, even her insides, which seemed to please Loki very much. When her muscles clenched around him, he moaned, and when her nails dug into his arms, his hands pushed into her hair, pulling so that her head arched back. Then his mouth was against her neck, and he was begging, "Please tell me this does not hurt."

She shook her head, managing, "It does not hurt."

He raised himself to look at her, his eyes wild and dark. "You like this?"

All Asrior could do was gaze at him, her eyes almost confused as she panted, "Yes… but…"

"What?" His face was rigid, the muscles of his arms tightening as though he held himself in great control.

"I need…something," she moaned, her fingers clamping around his arm, sliding along his sweat-dampened skin. "Loki… I need…"

Loki's breathing was labored, his hair falling into his eyes, but he seemed to understand, for he urged, "Let go, Asrior. Hold on to me and let go of yourself…"

"I…" Her eyes slid closed as her hips rose to meet his thrusts. "I am trying…"

He shifted, and she felt a hand on her breast again, his fingers rough against her nipple. Asrior responded immediately to the stimulation, moaning and arching into his hand. She could feel the pressure building, feel her insides clenching around Loki's hardness, trembling even as everything seemed to grow hotter and wetter…

"Come on, Asrior." Loki's mouth was against her ear, his voice shaking. "Let go before I… I…"

The hand against her breast moved, almost fumbling as it found her leg and pushed it so that she opened wider for him, bringing him so deep that Asrior shattered.

It was so much more than she thought it would be—such bliss ripped through her body that she split into a million pieces instead of mere thousands. And what was left of her burned, and then flew so high that she thought she might actually die from the pleasure consuming her.

Asrior thought that Loki exploded with her, for his thrusts turned unsteady. He buried his face in her hair, a deep sound torn from his throat as his movements slowed, finally stopping so that his body lay heavy against hers. She could feel his heart beating madly against her skin, and though the tremors still coursing through her body made it difficult to move, she pushed her fingers into the hair at his neck and turned to press her lips against his jaw.

"That…" It was still hard to talk. Indeed, she was surprised that she had survived the intensity of their joining. "That was amazing."

Loki's breathing was still rough when he pushed himself up to look at her, and the eyes that raked over her face were filled with satisfaction. Asrior could not help the smile that spread across her face. And lifting a hand to push the hair that had fell over his forehead, she found that in that moment, her husband was as beautiful as the sound of her songbird and the sight of starlight combined.

"You liked that, didn't you?" He asked, a self-assured grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

She could not muster the will to grow annoyed at his smugness, so Asrior simply stretched, much as her cats did. "Very much."

One of his arms wound around her waist, and Loki rolled onto his back, taking her along so that she lay on top of him. Her legs straddled his hips, and her breasts pressed against the smooth skin of his chest as her hands moved to his shoulders.

His look of contentment was so appealing that Asrior kissed him, pressing her lips against his mouth and then along his jaw. When she reached his ear, she paused, asking, "Am I to understand that you liked that as well?"

A hand slid along her back, stroking the skin through the tangle of her hair. "Very much."

"Good." She smiled, moving to press eager kisses along his neck. "I want to do that again."

"So do I."

Asrior could feel his voice rumble deep inside of her as he spoke, and she sighed happily against the strong column of his throat, saying, "Good," once more.

Then she turned her teeth to the skin there, biting and licking the way he had done to her. Her breasts brushed against him as she moved, and wondering if his nipples were as sensitive as hers, she moved her hands along his chest until she found one. Her fingers danced around it, and then over it, tugging until it was hard and stiff as hers had been.

Loki made a sound in his throat as she moved, lifting his head to watch her ministrations. His eyes widened as she ran a hand down his stomach, and his voice was incredulous as he asked, "You mean _now_?"

"Of course I mean now." She lifted her head slightly, giving him a confused look. "When did you think I meant?"

"Later," he said, his voice strangled, for her mouth was on his nipple, her tongue moving gently across the nub as she tasted it.

"Why?" She moved to his other breast. "You are a god, are you not? I thought only mortals lacked the stamina for…"

His hands were in her hair, lightly pulling so that she looked back up at him. "What do you know of mortals and stamina?"

"I read books. Not just the romances. I was instructed on sexual reproduction as part of my education on Svartalfheim," she explained. "We covered all realms and races. The lessons were dull and rather embarrassing, but I found the myths from Midgard about Asgardians interesting."'

Her lips curved into a playful smile as she mentioned the outlandish ways in which the mortals had interpreted their visitors from other realms, and Loki raised a brow. "Why were myths a part of sexual education?"

"Because dark elves are as prejudicial as any when it comes to mortals. The myths were a cautionary tale on the issues involved of getting involved with those from Midgard." Her smile turned into a grin. "You had quite a reputation in their mythology. It was very impressive."

She grew bored with the subject, though, for she wanted to lie with him again, not talk. So Asrior moved back to his chest, her tongue darting along his skin as her hand resumed its path down his stomach.

"Well, despite the mortal propensity to elevate my sexual prowess, I am not…" he paused, his breath hitching as her hand found his growing erection. "I am not the god of sex, and…"

"You sell yourself short," she murmured, her lips following the path her hand took, her hair falling around her as she moved lower along his body. Her tongue dipped into his navel, and with new-found confidence, her hand stroked the shaft of silk-covered steel that promised so much pleasure. "I shall petition Thor when we are at court to add another label to your official title."

"You shall do no such thing, elf," he ordered, though he laughed as he said it. Asrior felt hands on her shoulders then, pulling her up to look at him. "I am fully capable of pleasing my wife without having to go to my brother for a seal of approval."

"I am very happy to hear that," she said, grinning, moving so that her knees dug into the mattress as she straddled him. She walked her hands along either side of him until she reached his shoulders, then stilled as she held herself above him. His body was trapped between legs and arms, and her hair fell to form a curtain around them. "You have had thousands of orgasms, you see…"

"Thousands?" He lifted a brow.

"Well, you have been with six hundred, forty two women. Unlike females, men are capable of achieving orgasm every time they have sex, and surely you did not lie with the others only once…"

"You _are_ jealous." He looked smug again.

Asrior ignored his taunt. "So I imagine you have felt such glorious feelings thousands of times."

"Glorious?"

"Yes, glorious," she said firmly, knowing that only such enormous pleasure could make her so persistently bold. "And I have felt that only once. I want to feel it again. Soon, Loki."

He blinked as he gazed up at her, the playful assurance on his face slipping away to reveal a look of such affection that it took Asrior a full ten seconds to remember how to breathe.

"You are right," he said after a moment, his voice soft, and he lifted a hand to push her hair back from her face before moving to cradle the back of her neck with his palm. "You should feel such wonder. Over and over again."

She glanced down at his erection, which was straining against her, asking hopefully, "Now?"

"Yes." Loki's hand moved to grip her waist, positioning her body so that he could bring her down to envelop his hardness. "I will make you feel glorious _now_, Asrior."

….

Despite Loki's assurances that she would not rest much that night, eventually the pair succumbed to fatigue. Asrior found it odd, having someone lie next to her, for she had never slept in the same bed with another person

She thought that the experience was new for her husband as well, for when he waved his hand to put out the torches, leaving them with only the dim glow from the fire pit's smoldering embers, the look he gave her was uncertain.

"You are comfortable without your nightdress?" he asked as she pulled the coverlet over her bare skin. "You usually sleep wearing clothing."

"This feels nice," she mumbled sleepily, turning to face him. "Perhaps I shall forgo the nightdress from now on."

Loki smiled slightly and settled next to her. "And if you think to take all of the covers during the night, remember that I am a frost giant. It will not affect me."

Asrior tried not to smirk, for his chatter was unusual, as though he was nervous. She found it rather charming, though she knew if she admitted as much, he would take offense. "I shall keep that in mind. Why do you mention it?"

"Volstagg complains constantly about his wife's thieving habits during sleep."

"I have been known to steal from time to time," she pointed out sleepily. "Though I would never steal from you, for you would turn me into an eel or something similar."

"I have no desire to bed an eel," he informed her, and he turned and moved a hand to her waist. "It is bad enough that you are part elf."

She snorted and yawned at the same time. "After tonight, your goading about my blood lacks the ability to provoke me. You like elves."

He looked thoughtful. "Perhaps one elf." Then he grimaced. "I console myself with the fact that at least you are not mortal."

Closing her eyes, Asrior moved her hand so that it was over his, and she linked their fingers together. "You should give mortals more credit. They were certainly right about your prowess."

Loki scooted closer to her, and she felt his body relax next to hers. He was silent until something bumped onto the bed, and hard little feet walked across Asrior's legs.

"I thought you put the cats in my chambers," he grunted over the sound of enthusiastic purring.

"It's Sazur," she said as though that explained the intrusion, cracking an eye briefly. "If you ignore him, he will grow bored."

But Loki was stroking the cat's neck, stopping only when the animal moved to stretch out on the other side of him.

"I suppose I shall have to grow used to a multitude of creatures invading my bed from now on," he said, sleep filling his voice as well.

Asrior smiled, but was asleep before she could answer.

Sunlight filled the room by the time the pair stirred. The snow had not started, despite the lateness of the morning. Loki shrugged when Asrior mentioned it, saying only that he was sure it would start soon. Then he took her into the bath where he showed her more ways to feel glorious, and almost two hours passed from their waking until they made their way into the dining room.

The soup was lower in the pot, and it looked as though more of the food had been eaten.

"Stable hands, most likely," Loki murmured, picking up a piece of bread. "They tend to come back to the castle to check on their charges before going back to the bonfire."

Asrior moved to the window, a pastry in her hands as she gazed at the sky. "It's starting," she murmured, her eyes widening at the sight of flurries dancing from the sky. "The snow."

Loki moved to stand behind her, and he placed a hand on her shoulder as he watched with her.

After a moment, she glanced over her shoulder. "Vatrnaetr will end after a day as passed from now?"

He nodded, smirking as a far-off sound of a door being slammed echoed through the castle. "That sounded as though it came from the kitchens. Cook was probably napping by the fire with some mead and noticed the snow. Everyone will be rushing back now."

She reached up and took his hand, swinging her body around to face him. "Then what are we waiting on?"

Lifting a brow, Loki asked, "You want to go back to the bonfire?"

"Only for a bit," she said, giving him a look under her lashes. "We can ride out for a few hours and still have the entire night here alone." She smirked, adding, "And I want to see if Larson managed to get holly and fir from Hlin."

The mention of the girl from Priekk was all it took.

"Right," Loki said, nodding sternly as he tugged Asrior toward the door. "Grab something to eat on the way, and find your boots. The snow sometimes grows thick very quickly."

Laughing, Asrior wrangled her hand from his and bundled pastries and fruit into a napkin, then found her cloak, still folded over a chair, before going in search of her boots. Very quickly, she was up on Falhofnir, sitting behind Loki, holding tightly to him as they rode toward the celebration.

The crowd was milling around the bonfire as they arrived, and as Loki predicted, the snow was falling steadily, coating the ground around it. There was a din filling the air—cheerful voices and music along with the sounds of singing. The men from the village were close to the fire, stoking it higher again, while couples still danced, some of them lurching drunkenly.

"My lord!"

The sound of Hlin's voice drew their attention, and they turned to watch as the boy made his way through to crowd.

"Asrior!" Hlin panted when he reached them. "You have come back."

"I didn't want to miss this," Asrior explained, smiling, but Loki interrupted, sounding grumpy as he asked, "You gave your favors away?"

Hlin's face turned red. "Yes."

"Who? Which girl?" Loki demanded.

A confused look crossed Hlin's face, and Asrior poked her husband in the side, frowning. "It is none of your business."

"It is entirely my business," he informed her, giving her a quick look. "I saved his life as a babe. He owes me a bit of gratitude."

"I gave my holly and fir to a girl from Nidvallier. She visits the Halfjorns," Hlin explained, looking even more puzzled. "She is quite nice."

Loki growled. "That is not the word I would use."

Asrior smirked.

"Have you met her?" Hlin asked, looking at the two of them. "Kelda did not mention it."

"Kelda? Who in Hel's name is Kelda?" Loki asked, scowling. "Did the impertinent wench tell you…"

"She is there," Hlin said, pointing through the crowd to a dark-haired girl wearing holly and fir at her neckline who spoke to Nessa. "She actually has someone in Nidvallier waiting to court her when she comes of age, but Kelda was kind enough to accept my favors for the holiday. She is quite pretty, and all of the stable hands are very jealous of me."

He sounded pleased with himself. Loki's eyes narrowed. "I seem to have been mistaken. I thought…"

"What?" Hlin cocked his head.

Loki grunted, his eyes scanning the crowd, stopping when they fell on a dancing blonde who was entirely free of greenery. "Her." He pointed to Larson. The girl was dancing with one of the Halfjornson children near the bonfire, laughing happily as they twirled in a circle. "She is also staying with that family. Her name is Larson, and she is a most..."

"I know. She is even prettier than Kelda," Hlin said slowly, his voice changing slightly as he stared at her. "I met her, but after I'd given my favors away."

"I was going to say aggravating. And pretty is not everything," Loki grumbled. "Intelligence matters."

"She seems very smart," Hlin said, still watching Larson.

Loki countered, "A sweet and biddable manner is desirable as well, qualities she lacks."

Asrior, who had been watching in silence as the two males talked, rolled her eyes.

Larson looked up just then as she twirled, her steps pausing when she noticed Loki. A wide smirk spread across her face, and she waved a hand before turning to resume her dancing.

Hlin began moving toward the dancers, muttering over his shoulder, "I can still dance with her, seeing as she is a guest in our lands. It would be quite rude not to. "

"Quite," Loki snapped as the boy slide away.

The laugh Asrior held at bay broke free, and she clutched Loki's arm. "You are in for it now. And it is your fault this time."

Her husband scowled.

"The girl is not that bad, I think," Asrior mused, poking his side again. "She was deliberately goading you last night by making eyes at Hlin. She probably knows his position here and simply wanted to bother you."

"I should turn _her _into an eel," he grumbled, looking down at Asrior.

"Sweet and biddable?" she asked in return, raising a brow.

He nodded. "Highly advantageous qualities."

"You remind me often that I am quite the opposite," Asrior reminded him, her chin lifting in challenge.

The look in his eyes made her stomach pool with heat, and she wondered if she would ever not grow flushed when he looked at her so. "You were much less impertinent last night," he murmured, turning to slip his hand under her cloak. "I can see now that I erred before in my handling of you. You were simply sexually frustrated before."

"Really?" she asked, amused.

"Yes," Loki gave her a sage look and stepped closer to her, the hand at her waist sliding to her back. "You became extremely sweet and biddable after a few orgasms."

"Perhaps I was wrong to suggest we visit here," Asrior said, giving her husband an exasperated look. "My temper grows again. I do not think that I am quite satisfied enough to overlook your outrageous assumptions as to the affect sex has on my moods."

Loki grinned. "Perhaps I seek to goad you so that I can help sooth your temper."

One of the men from the villagers walked up then, drawing Loki's attention away. And as he moved from her to speak, Asrior turned to eye the crowd. She saw several familiar faces—maids from Okershall and stable hands, the brewer from the village, farmers. Many were dancing, including Saldis, who gave her a cheery wave when she saw her watching. And Ulvgeir passed by, wishing her a happy holiday and pressing a cup of mulled wine into her hands.

She turned, sipping the spiced drink and watching as Loki moved from the man he spoke with to another who stood nearby. Then he moved to a farmer and his wife, and even turned to speak to their children, who were skipping around Loki's legs, begging for him to perform magic.

After a moment, Asrior's eyes slid to Hlin, who was dancing with Larson. And just as she turned to catch Loki's eye, she felt something on her head. Loki was back beside her, placing pieces of holly and fir back into her hair as he gently brushed the snow from it.

"Where did you get this?" she asked, smiling at his concentration as he carefully arranged the greenery.

"A lad from the village had not found someone willing to take it yet. I relieved him of it."

"But what if he had his eye on someone?"

"He should have acted sooner," Loki answered, his eyes serious. "And I have to ensure that it is obvious that you are taken." When he was finished, Loki's hands slipped under her cloak to grasp her waist again, and his eyes locked on her mouth. "Are you still growing cross?"

"A little." She was sure that he was going to kiss her, but a movement at their shoulder distracted them.

Hogun was standing beside them, smiling slightly, though his eyes were serious. "Loki. Asrior. You have returned from the castle."

"Yes." Loki turned to the warrior. His arms untangled from her waist, but he reached out to take her hand, holding it tightly as he explained, "My wife desired to see the bonfire when the snow started. It is her first time celebrating here, after all."

It was clear by the tone of Loki's voice that there were to be more such holidays, and Asrior's cheeks grew warm.

"How are you enjoying Vatrnaetr, Asrior?" Hogun asked, and she saw that a corner of his mouth twitched as he spoke.

"I find the holiday much to my liking," she answered, wondering why Loki was giving the warrior such a superior look.

But before she could think overly much, Hogun was talking again, the quick twinkle that flashed in his eyes gone as he turned to Loki. "Herluf Doanson rode out of the village late last night, heading toward the road that passes into Nornheim," he said, his voice low. "Hlin rode into town with the brewer to help gather more mead and saw him. He thought nothing of it, but did mention it to me in passing. When I spoke to Doan later, he claimed that Herluf was at their farm attending to his wife, who is expecting a child to arrive very soon."

"And is she at the farm?" Loki asked, his own voice hushed.

Hogun shook his head, murmuring, "She is most likely with her family in Gaula, as she was the last time she bore a child. But it must be checked."

Loki nodded. "And if he rode to Nornheim..."

Asrior was confused, but something in the way the men spoke told her to keep her expression calm. So when her husband drew her closer to him, his voice low as he said, "We'll have to leave soon," she smiled and nodded, acting as though he commented on the weather.

"I was going to ride over to the castle in a bit to tell you." Hogun's eyes shifted from the god to Asrior, lingering on their joined hands. "I waited too long."

"Obviously," Loki said, smirking.

The warrior turned his gaze to Asrior, his eyes solemn. "I wish you great happiness this holiday, my lady." But when he turned to Loki, his lips twitched again, and the gravity in his look turned to a gleam. "And you, my old friend—perhaps we can consider ourselves even now."

Loki's eyes narrowed, but Hogun was giving the pair a quick bow. "Please let me know what you find," he murmured. "I'll take my leave."

Asrior watched as Hogun walked away, then turned her eyes up to her husband, whose was looking more than a little chagrined. "What was that about?"

A nerve in Loki's jaw twitched, and he grinned, almost reluctantly, muttering, "An old debt, no doubt." But when he looked down at her, his eyes grew serious. "We have to return to the castle. I'll explain why when we are alone."

And so they were soon back on Falhofnir, and then back at Okershall, moving toward Loki's workroom. When they settled inside, he moved to his desk, beckoning Asrior over as he pulled open a box containing dried herbs.

"What are you doing?" she asked, watching as he dropped a pinch of something brown into a marble bowl.

"I need to project myself," he explained, finding something lavender-colored in another box and dropping it into the bowl as well. "Certain herbs bolster my strength. And I am not at full strength this morning."

A corner of his mouth quirked up as he looked at her, but his eyes were still grave.

"Why do you need to project yourself?" Asrior's stomach was beginning to clench with anxiety, for it was obvious that Loki's mood was unsettled.

He glanced at her again, sighing before saying, "After you were injured in the woods, Emil traveled back to the village and met with certain people, including Doan. Emil has tried to spread discord since his dismissal here, and we were keeping an eye on him and those he spoke with."

"And?" Asrior asked, not quite sure what he was leading to.

"And it's obvious that someone in these lands does not like you being here...and they have colluded with someone powerful enough to arm them with cursed arrows."

"Dark elves you mean," Asrior whispered.

Loki looked up from the bowl where he was crushing the herbs, pausing for a moment. "It is likely. But we had nothing to tie Emil to the elves, or any that he spoke with around Okershall. Until now."

"But..." Asrior shook her head, confused. "What ties Doan's son to elves?"

"Jerrik lives in Nornheim," Loki answered, his voice grim. "Herluf Doanson could have any number of reasons to travel to that country, but I need to pay a visit to Jerrik's to see if he visits there. He should be arriving within the hour, if he rode through the night."

"So you will project from here?" Asrior asked, her eyes wide.

"Yes. To the farm, first, to see if Doan was lying about Herluf's wife, and then to Jerrik's."

"And I will stay here?"

"Yes." Loki looked up at her, his face softening at the look in her eyes. "I will project from this room, and we will keep the door locked. If you need me, all you simply have to do is touch my shoulder and say my name. I'll return if you do that."

"Alright," she said firmly. "I can do that."

Her hands were clutching at her tunic, though, and Loki pushed the marble bowl to the side, reaching out to touch her cheek with a finger. "It will be fine, Asrior."

And it was, though it was odd sitting in the room with Loki there but not there at the same time. He sat by the fireplace as his mind left the room, and Asrior sat at her settee, trying to read. He was gone for over an hour, and by the time he returned, joining her with a quick shake of his body, she felt close to giddy with relief.

He would not tell her what he saw, though, shaking his head sternly, saying, "Later," before informing her that he had to leave again to visit Thor. So she sat for another hour, her nerves stretched thin as she waited.

When he finally returned, he took her by the hand and pulled her from the settee, saying, "We have wasted enough time on intrigue today. Let us go upstairs."

Asrior allowed him to pull her behind him, but asked, "What happened? You saw Herluf, did you not? Otherwise, you would not have sought out Thor."

They were at the stairs, heading upward, and Loki gave her a shuttered look. "I saw him."

But he would not answer other questions until they were in her room. It was only after he shut her door behind him that he finally answered more of her questions.

"Yes, I saw him, and he was at Jerrik's," Loki said, watching as Asrior moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "His wife, as you can guess, was not at their farm."

"So what will you do?" Asrior asked, and he moved to sit beside her.

"Find out who here at the castle is connected to that family," he answered. "They may have a relative here, or someone close to them. Our first need is to discover who here at Okershall has tried to harm you."

Asrior took a deep breath. "And the arrows. You think..."

Loki reached over and took her hand, his voice calm. "Yes, I think Doan and his sons had something to do with that attack. But I cannot prove it yet. Thor will not allow me to even question them about it as of now."

"But..." she began, her eyes growing worried.

"I can still keep an eye on them, Asrior," he assured her, his voice steady. "Thor has allowed me to use whatever magic I can to find the proof that I need. And once that is in hand, we can move to arrest those who are responsible for attacking you in the woods. Please do not worry, for now that we know who is working with Valtur, we are that much stronger."

She saw that he had moved closer to her, and his other hand lifted to push her hair back from her face.

"So what do you do now?" she asked, her voice growing soft. Loki was running his fingers down her back, and his eyes were growing black.

"Now? I will do my best to tempt you from this foul mood you have fallen into."

A knot began to coil in her stomach. "Good," she whispered, staring at his mouth. "For I find that I am suddenly feeling quite...argumentative."

They passed that night much as the one before, in a spiral of skin against skin, of shared sighs, and with hands and tongue and teeth giving pleasure. Asrior tried not to worry about those who wished to harm her, and Loki did his best to draw her attention to more pleasant matters.

During the night, she learned more about her body and what pleased her, and much about Loki as well. She discovered that the back of his neck was especially sensitive, and that he was ticklish on his left side. He liked to watch her—liked to watch when she touched him, and liked to watch her face when he was inside of her. He was fascinated by her hair, and responded forcefully when she tugged at his.

He could be rough and tender at the same time, and his hands were particularly skillful at drawing a reaction from her. And he was as fascinated with her body as Asrior was with his, for he spent hours exploring her every dip and curve. He lingered on her wrists, holding them against his mouth as he murmured with fascination that he could feel her heartbeat there. His fingers stroked every inch of her back, running softly over her scars as his mouth followed. He also spent so much time studying her breasts that she fully believed him when he said that small was not a bad thing at all.

Such was her satisfaction, that she was loathed to leave bed the next morning.

"You grow lazy, elf," he chided, pulling on a tunic as he strode from the bath.

Asrior was still in bed, and she stretched languidly, frowning at him. "You are overdressed."

"I have unleashed a monster." He tossed her robe onto the bed so that it covered her head.

Sighing, she shoved the cloud of colored silk from her and sat up. "You should be pleased that I am so enthralled with you. I heard many at court complain that their wives lacked interest in sex."

"I am very pleased," he said, moving to stand by the bed, watching as she pulled the robe on. "And if I were not so concerned with bringing those that seek to harm you to justice, Asrior, I would show you exactly how pleased I am."

She gave him a contrite look and scooted across the coverlet, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry, Loki. I should not complain when you are trying so hard to help me."

He smirked. "To be honest, I am not offended when you protest me leaving your bed. It...is quite good for one's ego."

"Your ego is fine without my inflating it," Asrior said dryly, pushing her hair over her shoulders. "Though I admit, I am astounded that you have bedded only six hundred, forty two women. I would think it would be a much greater number."

"Why?" Loki asked, his chest puffing slightly. "You enjoyed my skills that much? I can assure you..."

Asrior rolled her eyes. "Such conceit. I mean that sex is...it is glorious when one reaches climax, and seeing as males can do so at the drop of a helmet..."

Loki was laughing. "You think orgasms are so wonderful that I should have spent my time bedding anyone wearing skirts?"

"No, I simply meant..." She sighed, searching for words. "I do not understand how Asgardians can be so focused on war and battle. If I had been you or Thor or any other young warrior with women throwing themselves at me...I imagine that _fighting _would be the last thing on my mind. Not when I could be doing this instead."

She watched as Loki moved to sit beside her, and the eyes he turned on her were serious. "Asrior...it is not like this all the time."

"What do you mean?" She tilted her head, confused. "The books said that males almost always find release. It was common across realms. Are you saying that you did not..."

"No...not that," Loki said, smiling slightly. "You are right, it is rather rare for males not to orgasm during sex. But that is not what I mean. This is different."

"I do not understand." She was watching her husband closely; his eyes were on his hands, as though he was self-conscious, and she put her hand over his. "How is this different?"

"Because..." he began, looking up at her, his eyes intent. "It is different because of this."

And turned his hand over to take hers, pulling it toward him so that it lay centered on his chest. She automatically spread her fingers, pressing against the soft wool of his tunic, staring at her hand when she realized that she could feel his heartbeat through the material.

Loki, his voice so soft that she moved closer to hear him, whispered, "It has never been like this before. Not for me, even with hundreds of goddesses."

Asrior licked her lips, wonderment filling her at his admission.

"Oh," she whispered, bemoaning her lack of adequate words to express the feelings flooding through her. And she realized his meaning, for she could not fathom being with anyone other than Loki, even men such as Bruce or Hogun who she liked very much. They did not repulse her, not my any means, but it would not be the same with them. "Oh."

She looked up at him, gazing into his eyes as she moved her free hand to grasp one of his, pulling it toward her, holding it against her chest as he had done. Surely he felt her own heart pounding, for the sound of it filled her ears. And as a slow smile lit his eyes, and he pressed his hand against the silk of her robe, she asked, "This is better? This difference?"

"This is terrifying for me. I have never felt so...exposed," he admitted, his eyes earnest. "But, yes. This is much, much better."

Asrior's hand flexed against him, the feel of Loki's heartbeat sound and sure beneath it, and she felt his hand press closer to her as well. And as he moved, his mouth pressing against her hair tentatively before he briefly rested his cheek against the top of her head, she thought that this quiet moment between them was somehow more glorious than anything that had passed before.


	25. Chapter 24-Fool's coin

A/N-First, my apologies for this update taking so long. I never thought it would take almost three weeks...but there was a week and half in which I wrote nothing (a combo of vacation and work projects led to that), and then a fight with malware and my wireless going out when I was trying to send updates to my beta. When I had time to write, it went really well. I thought I'd post this over the weekend. But there was the wireless issue, and then tweaking and rewriting and condensing (because as long as this is, it was *really* long before). And then a little more tweaking, because this update needed to be right. The next few might take a little longer to post as well (though hopefully not nearly as long), because we are getting to the heart of the story.

Second, thanks, as always, for reading and reviewing. Thanks for following! I really, really, really hope you enjoy this update.

I'll update with comments (both on the last chapter and this one) tonight and tomorrow. I also have a new piece of artwork from mr-stark-21 that I'll add a link to very soon.

*Edited to add: fanfic is being an absolute bitch about putting the url to Mr Stark's work.

I've been working for 30 minutes, and this site will not let me post the proper link, even of . etc.

I'll try again tomorrow...but be on the lookout on tumblr for a post of the pic as well!

A huge thanks to Jax Jesilaux who helped tremendously with editing!

* * *

**Chapter 24-Fool's coin**

"I want to see Kagoq."

The request came the same day that Vatrnaetr ended, as Loki sat in his workroom with Asrior beside him. They had greeted the castle's residents in the dining room earlier when they wandered back for a meal after the bonfire died out. Everyone ate quickly, intent on falling into their beds as soon as possible, for they had been given the rest of the day to recover from the revelries.

Everyone went to their beds except for Hlin, who announced his intention to ride out to the Halfjornson farm after eating, and who did so without answering any of his master's pointed questions.

And now, as they sat at Loki's desk, Okershall was quiet again. Asrior pulled up a chair close to his as he spread papers about, intent on showing her the progress he'd made researching Valtur's magic.

Before Loki could begin talking, though, his wife made her pronouncement. She looked worried that he would grow annoyed at her interruption.

Loki tried to give her a reassuring look as, for he had meant to broach that very topic himself. He wanted to bring Kagoq back to her, but to do so would involve an act of courage and trust on her part—and though he believed with everything in him that his wife was as brave as anyone he'd ever known, he was still cautious about bringing up the subject.

"I do not think we can see him on our journey to court. But we will most certainly be able to see him afterward. Perhaps even bring him back with us, if things go as I have planned," he said, his voice quiet.

She looked curious. "What plans have you made?"

He leaned onto the desk, his long fingers tapping a cadence against the wood as he looked at her for a moment.

"We will have to show Thor your scars," he said finally, watching her carefully for a reaction. "And Sif as well, if we are to get your Kagoq."

Even though she had probably known that it would come to this, Asrior's face paled slightly.

"You have not gotten far enough in your research to break the spell?" she asked, though it was clear from the tone of her voice that she knew the answer.

"No. I'm sorry, Asrior, but I do not think that I will have enough time," he explained. "We leave in three days, and I have barely been able to crack the surface of this magic. The little I have found..."

"What?" she asked, tilting her head as she regarded him intently. "You sound as though you have done something, even if it is not much."

He took a deep breath, telling her, "When I projected to Jerrik's, I was able to breach the magic around his palace, to see inside the front gate. Only for a moment, though. I was pushed back out again, almost immediately."

"How did this happen, being able to see inside?" Asrior looked almost excited at the news. Though the infringement had been brief, she understood the importance of what had happened.

"You know, it's odd," Loki said slowly, for he did not fully understand how he had done it. "When I arrived, I cloaked myself and waited outside the palace to see if Herluf would ride to the gates. I did not intend to do anything else, but I grew restless and tried to see if I could enter. It was almost on a whim, were I one to bend to such fancies. I was able to see in, though, enough to see that Jerrik and his men were gathered in a courtyard, as though they were waiting."

"And then you were...pushed out, you said?"

"Yes. Before I could try to enter again, Herluf arrived and rode through the gates. I tried to follow him, but was unable to do so."

"What did you do differently?" Asrior's eyes were wide.

"I've been working of a few things, so I'm not sure what it was," Loki admitted, leaning back in his chair and running a finger across his lip as he thought about the work he'd been doing. "I've been trying to disguise my magic, for one. Cloaking more than my image. I thought..."

When his voice trailed off, his wife prodded him, "What do you mean, cloaking your magic?"

He glanced at her, asking, "You understand that I can feel magic in others? And that my powers can be felt as well?" When she gave him a quick nod, he continued, "A projection of myself has a magical presence that sorcerer of Valtur's abilities can feel. Such residue is useful in battle, for it makes it close to impossible to know which of my images is corporeal. But it's damned useless when I'm projecting and need to stay fully hidden."

"So...you have been trying to conceal the magic others can feel from you?"

"No, not hide it, but disguise the feel of it. You see, I wondered if the spell used on Jerrik's palace is somehow triggered by the magic that is specific to my race. When Stark retrofitted his weapons to alarm at the feel of dark elf power, it occurred to me that your father could also..."

"What do you mean?" Asrior's voice rose slightly.

"Well, there are many creatures whose magical powers can be sensed, but a Jotun will feel unlike lesser creatures like dragons or garms. I thought if I felt different..."

"No, not that," she said, waving a hand impatiently. "What did you mean about alarms detecting dark elf magic?"

Loki's stomach dropped when he realized what part of his words she had focused on. "Oh."

"Oh," his wife repeated dryly, her eyes probing him. "Tony turned his weapons into alarms? I had not heard of this."

He stared at her, trying to find the words to explain, but when he waited too long, Asrior's eyes narrowed.

"When did Tony turn his weapons into alarms? Before or after you knew the truth about me?"

Loki's voice was quiet. "Before."

"So they were not meant to protect me."

"No. Not at first," he admitted, leaning toward her, assuring her, "But they have been used as part of your protection since then, Asrior. They were placed around Okershall's lands when Stark first built them, and it made sense to use them to help protect you in case I was gone. The time I was with Thor at Alflyse's court, for example..."

"Why were the alarms put near Okershall?" she interrupted, tenaciously digging for an answer. "You can feel dark elf magic, you don't need alarms."

"We wanted to know if dark elves were near the castle while I was gone."

Loki's chest was tight, for he knew she would soon understand how he had intended to use her. He was not afraid of her reaction, not entirely—he mostly wondered if he would ever be rid of the guilt he felt when remembering what he had done. He had lived much of his life without his conscience interfering with his activities, and now that the cursed thing decided to exercise itself, it was doing so with alarming vigor.

Asrior worked it out almost immediately.

"But they have never attacked anywhere near the castle. The closest they came, I was told, was to Hogun, and he lived out from the village back then..." Her voice trailed off, and her mouth formed a small circle as her mind churned. "You...you thought they would come for me. You wanted to know when he came for me."

"Yes." Loki swallowed hard. "I thought they would come to take you back, Asrior, not attack you. You have to believe..."

She seemed to have not heard him. "That's why you allowed me to leave the castle without escort." Her hands knotted in her skirt as she remembered. "That's why you gave me that list of tasks when you left for Gaula. You...you wanted it known that I was allowed away...left alone."

Asrior's body seemed to tremble and the familiar, sickening feeling of remorse filled him. "I didn't know they would attack you," he said again, reaching out, pulling her hands from the folds of her skirt and taking them into his. "I had no idea they would try to hurt you, I thought..."

"Is that why you were there when I was attacked?" She pinned him with her gaze. "Were the alarms triggered? You were there so quickly, and you weren't expected back for two days."

His hands tightened on hers. "No. I came back sooner than I'd planned...because you told me by the boulders that you did not want to be left alone, remember? I knew that your fear had to be extraordinary for you to even mention it to me. I tried to tell myself that that wasn't the reason I came back so swiftly, but it was. You have to believe me."

Asrior's face was white, but her eyes, Loki saw with relief, were not filled with anger. The memory of that day was raw, even now, and was not sure how he would react if she held him responsible for the attack. The only thing saving him from dwelling endlessly on his own self-recrimination was the hope of her forgiveness.

"I passed the Halfjorns on my way back, and they were going to meet you in the village," he pushed on, anxious to make her understand. "But when I didn't pass the cart on the road, I knew you had gone through the forest. I rode to Hogun's to ask him to watch things while you were there, and then...I felt the dark magic."

She was blinking, as though trying to remember.

"You put me on your horse. You bought me to Hogun's cottage."

"Yes." He wondered if her hands hurt from his grip, and he the smile he gave her shook weakly. "You rode Falhofnir and didn't even realize it."

Asrior's breathing was hitched, but she did not pull away from him. "You used me as bait in a trap."

"That...that was my plan." His voice was strained as he admitted the truth. "But I had no idea they would try to harm you. None of us did, except for Hlin. Even Hogun was not convinced, even when the kitten was killed. He thought someone from the castle played tricks simply to scare you."

Her body shook as she tried to steady her breathing, her eyes lowering to focus on their hands; and for the first time since he took them, Loki felt her fingers move to wrap around his.

"It was not a bad plan, if the alarms work. We... we could still do it. Bait them. Lure Valtur back here to try to take me."

Her voice was almost timid as she spoke, but Loki's was sharp. "No. Absolutely not."

"Why not?" Asrior's voice grew almost as sharp as his, her familiar belligerence returning as she pulled her hands from his with a jerk. "I am ready for this to be over, Loki. I do not want to live forever with the threat of him hanging over me."

"It will not be forever." Loki tried not to scowl at her, for she had no idea how she was provoking him by even suggesting that she be anywhere near her father again. "When I am ready to attack Valtur, you will be far from the battle, Asrior. You will never be near your father again, not if I can help it. I will not risk your being taken by him."

The glare directed at him relaxed slightly. "You would...you do not mind the wait? You spend so much time on his spells. It consumes you."

"I will break his magic, no matter how long it takes," he vowed, holding her gaze, wanting to make certain that she understood him completely. "That particular task will never be so inconvenient to me that I decide to put you back in harm's way."

"But...surely the lower countries would benefit from an earlier battle rather than a later one," she said, seemingly intent on convincing him to put her into danger. "It is in their best interest to entice..."

"It is out of the question. I suggest that you stop this foolish line of inquiry now."

He spoke more harshly than he'd intended, but Asrior blinked, her face growing soft. Indeed, to his inordinate pleasure, her expression turned almost mawkish as she watched him.

"You are so determined to protect me?" she asked.

Loki rather thought that he was protecting himself by keeping her safe, but he merely said, "I do not forsake what I hold to be mine." He gave her a quick smirk before turning back to his papers. "Even sharp-tongued elves determined to vex me."

Asrior simply smiled and pulled her chair a fraction closer, saying, "You will break the spell, I am sure of it...you are probably the smartest person I have ever known. Tell what you have done that is different."

So he told her about the cloaking magic he'd found that came, ironically, from Jotuns, and of a rather undistinguished Asgardian sorcerer who had visited Valtur long ago. He told her how he half wondered if the impulsive state of his mind when he'd tried to enter Jerrik's castle made a difference.

Eventually, he told her of his own lessons in sorcery. Of how he'd studied diligently as a way to earn Odin's approval, for the Allfather, he explained, had more magic and power than anyone across the realms.

The one thing Loki didn't have to tell Asrior was how he'd felt apart from everyone, long before he knew the truth about his heritage. She seemed to understand that he'd looked askance on the Asgardian lust for blood, how offended he was at their mistrust of anything that didn't involve muscle and sweat.

Tricks, they'd scornfully called his work, before disparaging his want to use his brain—all the while ignoring how many times his sorcery and quick thinking had saved their lives.

Asrior asked him about that difference as she readied for sleep that night. He'd piled his books over her bed's coverlet, leaning back against the headboard as she walked from the bath. She was brushing her hair, and he scooted his legs over when she sat on the edge of the bed.

Loki watched her, the book falling slowly to his lap as he did so, for she was mesmerizing. Her flowered robe, tied at the waist, accentuated the dip of her waist and graceful swell of her hips. When she moved her arms to bring the brush through her hair, the sleeves fell down, exposing an expanse of her arm. Even her wrists were pretty, he thought, staring at them. They were fined-boned, covered with petal-soft skin that looked smoother than the silk encasing her body.

At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to turn her around and push her onto her back—to wrap a hand around those delicate wrists and stretch her arms over her head. He wanted to undo the tie at her waist with his other hand, to lower himself beside her...

Before he could move, she yawned widely. Loki knew she was exhausted, for he'd allowed her little sleep. And really, he thought, he'd rarely indulged in so much coupling in such a short period of time and never with one woman—he should be sated himself. Yet he wanted Asrior again, so much that it was alarming.

She yawned again, turning her head to look at him with bleary eyes. Loki repressed the urge to smile sardonically at himself, for indeed, it seemed as though lying with him was the last thing she desired at that moment.

"Here," he said, pulling her toward him and gently taking the brush from her fingers. "You should have told me that you were tired earlier."

"I'm only feeling it now," she said, and he took her hair into his hand instead of her wrists. When he began sliding the brush through it in long, slow strokes, he felt her sigh before she whispered, "That's lovely."

Asrior's shoulders relaxed after a while, her back slumping slightly, and she turned her head just enough so that she could look at him. Her eyes were somnolent, but he could see that desire flared in them as well. "You are going to read tonight?"

"Yes, I am going to read." Loki lowered the brush, reaching with his other hand to pull stray bits of her fiery hair back over her shoulder. His touch might have aroused her, but her mouth was drooping slightly with weariness. "And you are going to sleep."

He pulled more of her hair back, stroking it lightly, tucking some of it behind her ear. As he did so, he exposed the pointed tip of it. His fingers traced along the edge lightly, and Asrior's back stiffened as he did so. But after a moment, she seemed to relax again.

"You do not like others seeing your ears," he said softly.

"No," she admitted after a heartbeat, her voice gruff. "It makes me uncomfortable."

Loki's fingers continued moving gently through the strands of her hair. "You so not quite so bothered by your scars."

"They do not make me different."

Something constricted in him. "Different?"

But he knew what she meant.

"From other Asgardians," she muttered. She turned around more fully so she could better look at him, asking, "Did you... did you know you were different?"

His hand stilled. "Not at first."

"When did you suspect?"

Her eyes seemed to pierce him as he answered, "I did not suspect I was a Jotun, but I knew that I was not like other Asgardians. I do not have their incessant thirst for battle, and I find a robust intellect to be more valuable than physical skills, however useful those may be."

Asrior's mouth tilted up slightly. "Yes. I heard tales of you using wits to defeat might."

"I can only imagine what other tales you heard." Loki's voice was dry.

"Enough to frighten me," she admitted. She moved, then, and his hand dropped from her hair as she crawled gracefully over his legs to settle against the headboard on the other side of him.

He scoffed. "You did not act afraid of me. Quite the opposite. You were most defiant, from the first."

"I hide my feelings well when necessary." She moved closer to him, tilting her bright head so that it rested on his shoulder. "You were intimidating, and your reputation did not invite my admiration."

"What did it invite?" Loki asked, a hint of a laugh rumbling through him.

Her shoulder lifted, and she moved a hand, wrapping it around his arm. "I wanted to hide every time I saw you." She turned her head so that it was half-hidden against him, and her voice was muffled. "And I most certainly did not pray to you."

"_Pray_ to me?" he asked, startled, his brows shooting upward. "What..."

Asrior shifted a little against him, her small figure desperately light against his body. Loki's eyes raked over her head, which was still bent against his arm. Pink flooded her jawline.

"When I first went to Valtur's fortress. When... when he first used dark magic on me. My mother told me that the ancient Midgardians prayed to the gods...and so I prayed for them to save me. To take me home to Asgard."

For someone who professed to not know if he was even in possession of a heart, Loki found it almost amusing how badly his chest ached at her whispered confession.

He found that his hand was back on her hair, smoothing it back. "They did not forsake you, Asrior, for they would not have heard you," he murmured, and her hand tightened on his arm. "It does not work that way, unfortunately."

"I know. Kagoq told me the gods would not come for me. He liked to remind me that he was right." Asrior lifted her head, her twilight-hued eyes filling with pride. "But I proved him wrong, for I helped the gods come to his aid."

"The day Sif found him in the woods? The day you beat him?"

She nodded, her eyes holding his fiercely. "Valtur had used the whip, but he stopped when he saw the soldiers. Kagoq's clothes were sticking to his skin... I had to make sure his injuries could be seen. So fell upon him and tore his shirt back when the soldiers pushed me from him."

"Yet no one thought to see if you needed aid," he said, his voice solemn as his hand moved to stroke her cheek. "You have not been treated well here. I cannot imagine why you even want to be on Asgard."

"Asgard is still my home," she whispered. "Why do you stay? You... you do not fully belong either."

"No, I do not. And yet this is my home as well," Loki admitted, his voice as soft as hers as he sought to explain, "For all that Asgardians have faults, there is a noble beauty here that cannot be matched. Everything—the music and art, literature, architecture... It is why I chose Okershall as mine, you know. The new wing reminds me much of the royal palace in its splendor."

Asrior's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? I thought... I mean..."

"What?" Loki's brow arched at the embarrassment in her voice. "What story have you made in your mind?"

"It is not a story," she muttered. "I simply thought... Well, I thought you chose to stay here because of Vedis. The assumption is not unreasonable, given your inclination to wed her."

"You should know me better," he said, making a dismissive sound in his throat. "Do you really think me so sentimental? Why cling to a spot of land because someone who is gone once walked here?"

Asrior's eyes were sympathetic despite his curt words. "My mother's chain gives me comfort. I thought you might feel something similar despite what you have said. "

Loki grunted, weaving an arm around her shoulders. Her heard fell against him once more as he tried to describe his thoughts, "I am glad for your sake that such sentiment gives you a measure of peace. But we are not alike in that regard. I am the least...sentimental person you will hope to meet."

She was quiet for a moment, saying finally, "You have such contempt sometimes for softer feelings, yet anger and vengeance are emotions as well. And they are not the only ones worthy of holding."

Her words made him uncomfortable. "I am not as contemptuous as you make me out to be, or else you would still be in the tower," he muttered. "I simply disagree with you in some ways."

Asrior sighed, but her next words surprised him. "When did you know that you are a Jotun? You said you did not suspect."

It was ironic that he preferred this line of questioning—so fraught with dark memories—to her ruminations on sentiment.

"It was in battle, on Jotunheim," he explained, watching her closely. "A frost giant grabbed my arm...my bare skin. The cold from his touch would have burned me had I been Asgardian, but instead, I... my skin began to turn blue."

Asrior's eyes were wide as she stared up at him. "You had no idea?"

"None. I confronted Odin, and he admitted the truth. He thought I could bring peace between the two realms, but he neglected to tell me that very salient fact until I forced him to." His lips grew thin, the memory of the old bitterness swelling inside of him. "He raised me to be a king...allowed me to think I was of Asgard. He told Thor and I stories of defeating the frost giants, and smiled indulgently when my brother talked of killing them all when he grew up. Do you know what it feels like? Finding out that you're a monster? To feel so used by someone you trust? To know..."

"Yes."

The word was quiet, but it stopped his heated declarations as quickly as though she had shouted.

"I know what it is like to feel both."

Loki's damned chest was aching again, the all-too-familiar sting of remorse gripping it like a vise.

But Asrior's eyes were lit with compassion rather than recrimination, and she her lips upon his shoulder. "I am sorry," she whispered, resting her cheek on the spot she had just kissed. "I cannot imagine what it is like to find out that your own father deceived you."

When he spoke, he was hoarse, for as much as he craved to have her near him, the feelings she stirred sometimes frightened him. "I called myself a stolen relic. Put away until I was of use."

"At least you were not literally put away. Valtur hid me in a tower most days." Dark humor touched her mouth. "We could play a game of one-upmanship...your blueness, for example, is apparently more easily hidden than my ears."

The feelings churning in him merged into something familiar, and Loki turned to slide his arm from around her. He took her hands, lifting them to his mouth, and his eyes were bright as he gazed at her. "I find that I am not in a gaming mood."

"That's right. You said..." Her voice hitched when he rubbed his mouth over her palms. "You were going to read. And I was going to sleep."

Loki looked at her, drinking in the rich color of her hair and her nightfall eyes, the soft fullness of her mouth. His body was humming again. But the feeling was not driven by mere sexual hunger, for as appealing as she looked, he yearned even more for _her_—for her compassion and strength, for her curiosity and determination, for her ability to find wit in the face of their tortured pasts. For her obstinate, determined, unlimitedcourage, and even her maddening need to argue with him at times.

"We can do both in a bit, elf."

"In a bit?"

"Mmmm..." He pulled her to him so that he could place his mouth at her neck. "Soon."

"Soon?" Her voice was husky, but the effect was ruined by her snort of laughter. "Really? I thought you were a god."

"You're tired. I thought I should be expeditious with my attentions." She raised a brow, though she allowed him to press her down against the pillows. His mouth pushed the edge of the robe to the side, uncovering naked skin beneath. "You can sleep after."

"After?"

Loki pushed himself up on an elbow so that he could look down at her. "After I'm done."

"Doing what, exactly? Keeping me awake? You were going to read," she teased, her fingers pushing into his hair.

He tipped his forehead so that it rested against hers. "I meant for you to rest, truly I did. But I find that I want to be close to you."

The laughter tilting up her mouth faded, replaced by something altogether different. "Oh," she whispered, her legs tangling with his. "I think I would like that."

His answer was lost, for she pushed her mouth against his, and the books Loki had stacked to the side sat untouched for a fair amount of time.

….

As much as Asrior wanted Kagoq back, she was reluctant to leave for court. It felt strange to rush off so quickly after uniting with Loki. She wanted to find her footing, to understand exactly what this new relationship would mean for her life at Okershall.

They had spent their first few days mostly in bed, though the night Vatrnaetr ended, he'd lain with her the one time only. She'd been allowed to sleep the rest of the night, and when she awoke the next morning, it was to find her husband on his stomach, his eyes closed. His arms were curled under his pillow, and one of his legs was bent, the knee digging into her thigh. When she moved away from him, half-sitting to better look at his face, he stirred slightly, the leg moving until it was in contact with her skin again.

He woke then, his eyes bleary and hair mussed, looking more like a boy than the God of Mischief. When she asked how his reading went, he muttered sleepily that he would tell Saldis to move her things into his chambers, for the larger bed would make it easier for him to spread more books around.

Soon after, they were at breakfast, Loki tapping his fingers impatiently upon the table as he waited for Hlin to join them. The boy did so soon enough, smiling widely at Asrior and answering questions about his visit to the Halfjornson farm with a cool vagueness that made his master scowl.

"I should make you feed the pigs again," Loki muttered, pouring tea with such vigor that it splashed onto the table.

Hlin just grinned. "Can't. I have to ride to the village to repair the axle clip before we leave for court. Remember? Or do you want to deal with Gudrod today? He recently fashioned a lyre for his middle daughter, and she sits near him and attempts to teach herself the instrument while he works."

Loki managed to grunt meanly and drink from his cup at the same time.

"Oh! Do you mean that you're coming with us?" Asrior asked, smiling widely, ignoring her husband's mood.

"Yes." Hlin stuffed a sausage into his mouth, his words thick as he answered. "I'm helping spell Ulvgeir on the coach during the ride. We're driving straight through to the city."

Startled, Asrior whipped her head around to look at Loki. "Really? We won't stop? The journey takes days..."

"Three days, to be exact," her husband amended, putting down his empty cup. "I know it will be a bit of an ordeal, but the coach is a comfortable one. And you will have Saldis for company."

"But..." Her mouth dropped at the revelation. "Where will you be?"

"On Falhofnir. If we are attacked, it is easier to fight if I am riding." His expression turned forbidding.

Even Hlin's jaunty look faded, and a dull pit of fear settled in Asrior's stomach. "You think we will be attacked?"

"The risk is small. I simply wish to take precautions," Loki assured her, his face smoothing into calmer lines.

"What other precautions will we take?"

"You will ride in the same coach that brought you here. It is large and swift, but it bears no royal markings to make us a target. And I will be cloaked."

The dread only surged with his words. "I will not be able to see you?"

Loki seemed to realize that she grew more distressed. He turned to her, his hand moving to rest on her shoulder. "I will not ride far from the coach. You will be armed with Stark's weapons. And when I sense that it is safe, I will show myself. But I think it best if the coach appears to be that of a random lord rather than mine. If I am visible, I will only attract attention to our journey."

She sighed before giving him a trusting nod. "Alright—though surely the journey will be arduous for you."

He leaned back in his chair, his hand sliding away from her as he smirked. "I am a god, not an elf, and therefor will not tire so easily."

Asrior made a face, using her sign language to call him a bad name, while Hlin tried to hide his laugh by coughing and shoveling eggs into his mouth.

After turning a look of great affront on them, Loki began needling the boy once more about who exactly he'd visited at the farm. Asrior watched them, absent-mindedly eating fruit as two began to argue.

This was what she craved, this normalcy. For all of their teasing, everyone was... well, they were happy. _She_ was happy now that her future was settled, and a part of her hated rushing off as soon as Okershall's inhabitants enjoyed a newfound sense of contentment.

But it would be even better when Kagoq was there, so she pushed such thoughts from her mind. When Hlin left for the village, Loki and Asrior walked to visit Hogun, for they had to discuss the story they would tell to explain their leaving the castle.

"It is inevitable that the coach's leaving will be noticed," Loki explained when she asked. "With Hogun's help, word will get out that Hlin is journeying to Nidavallier on a task for me, and that Saldis will be dropped off at her brother's home in Skornheim on the way. She has not visited her family in many years."

"What of us?" she asked. "Will no one notice our absence?"

Loki smiled. "I sometimes journey into the Ringsfjord Mountains when the snows come. There is an old fortress there where I stay—there is no staff, for I go there when I need solitude. Now they will think that we want to be alone. I do not think that will be a surprise to anyone after the holiday."

"Tis a thin story, all of us leaving, scattering to the wind," she murmured, looking up into his sea-green eyes. "I doubt it will hold up for long."

A grim look flitted across his face. "It only needs to hold up until we near court. Thor's soldiers will escort us when we come down from the Asgardian mountains."

The unease settled over her again, but Asrior pushed it aside. There was still much to do, so much that it was hard to worry. After the visit to the warrior's cabin, there was the matter of moving into Loki's chambers. They had to visit the library as well, to sort through books to take on their journey.

At the end of the day, the pair went to the greenhouse. Loki relaxed for a brief time, watching as Asrior worked with her restarted seedlings—and when she played with her cats, he told her about the winters he'd spent with his father and brother hunting rock ptarmigan and hare in the mountains near the city.

Despite the uneventful day, it felt peculiar retiring for bed in Loki's chambers. As well-appointed as Asrior's had been, his were truly lavish. She'd peeked into his rooms once, when she'd raided the family wing to better furnish her tower room. A lifetime seemed to have passed since then. It was hard to believe that she belonged now.

"What are you staring at?" Loki asked as he came from the bathing chamber, his damp hair flat against his head and neck. "You look lost."

Asrior looked at him from her spot near the room's great windows that faced the hill in front of the castle. "It is just...very grand in here. The bed is so large I imagine you could fit the entirety of the library on it. You must have hated sleeping the settee."

"Well, at least there is more room for the animals here," he muttered, sending a half-hearted glare to where three cats and a rabbit were sprawled across silk-covered chairs. The golden reedling sat nearby, a heavy shawl draped over its cage. "Truly, it is a miracle that we escaped Hogun's today without the owl he is tending to now."

"Of course he would not give me the owl," Asrior reproved. "That bird will be able to survive in the wild once healed. It would be wrong to keep it caged."

Loki merely grimaced, muttering a quiet thanks before moving to the bed, commanding, "Come here."

Staring at him with mild rebuke for his tone, she put a hand on her hip. "Why?"

Loki sighed as he sat upon the green and cream-colored silk covering the bed. "There is no need to take offense."

"You sounded as though you wished to interrogate me," she said tautly.

"Asrior," Loki began again, speaking very slowly, as though she was a temperamental child, "will you please come and sit by me?"

She lifted her chin regally, moving to settle beside him. "You can try not to be sarcastic next time. What do you wish to know?"

"I wish to know what is wrong," he said, frowning slightly. "I do not think you are just overwhelmed by the room's décor."

She made a face. "It is just odd, being here."

"Odd?" He looked askance as he spit out the word.

"I am... Well, you need to understand that I am still getting accustomed to all of this. Of staying with you. Not just staying in here, but _staying_. I never thought I would marry, and certainly not to a prince of Asgard... Son of Jotunheim... Master of Tricks..."

Loki stared at her as she rambled, pulling her closer after a moment. His voice was soft as the silk they sat upon as he gently urged, "Listen to me."

Asrior's mouth shut.

"This is as...odd, if you will...for me as it is for you," he confessed, giving the cats a significant look before turning back to her. "I have never shared my personal space before, not for more than for a few hours. And now I find my chambers invaded by you _and_ your assortment of animals—and I know that you are not like the others, gone almost as soon as you enter. It will take me time to accustom myself as well, I imagine."

She felt her body relaxing, and she leaned against him as she said, "I wish we did not have to leave so soon. I think it would be easier if I had more time to acquaint ourselves with this."

His answering murmur reverberated through her body. "Indeed, though we have been off to a splendid start getting acquainted. But we must visit court if we are to get your Kagoq." He glanced down at her, smirking. "I have to warn you, I will not allow him to sleep on a mat by our door once we have retrieved him. I allow cats and birds and rabbits _and _an elf in here. I have to draw a line somewhere."

Unable to help the grin that spread across her face, she poked him in the side before standing. "Are you sure you can adapt to us? I can always go back to the tower."

"I will give you my opinion on the matter once it is formed." Loki pushed her gently toward the bath. His eyes were on the books stacked over the bed, and he sounded the tiniest bit distracted. "Ready yourself for sleep. We leave tomorrow evening, under cover of darkness. Enjoy the bed while you can."

When Asrior was done in the bath, Loki settled her next to him as he dimmed the room's torches. Then he began reading, the familiar sound of the turning pages lulling her into sleep.

When she woke later, the room was bathed in moonlight. All three cats were on the bed, and Loki was on his stomach again, an arm stretched out so that it lay over her hip. He looked so appealing—his lashes soft against his cheek, his skin almost like marble in the room's pale glow—that Asrior was tempted to wake him. But he need rest if he were to ride for three nights straight; so she curled at his side, forcing herself to sleep once more.

Loki was not quite so considerate, for he woke her just as dawn's light broke through the room's massive windows. Her eyes fluttered open, and she realized that his hands were twined in her hair—then his breath was in her ear as he told her that he'd decided he could adapt to her presence very well indeed. He spent the next hour showing her exactly how well he could acclimate to the situation.

The new day was more hurried than the one before. There were more books to pack, and papers, and the carriage was inspected to ensure that it was ready for the lengthy journey.

When the sun grew lower in the sky, Asrior followed Loki to the master chamber so that she could gather clothing. She needed only a small bag—it would be warmer in the royal city, her husband said, and they would find more clothes for her once they arrived.

She was carefully folding her dress from Midgard to take when someone knocked softly at the room's main door.

Loki was peering in a cabinet, shoving small vials into a case, and he ignored the sound. When he muttered to himself and he moved to a table, jerking a drawer open, Asrior sighed softly and moved to the door.

She expected it to be Hlin, but Saldis stood in the hallway, a bundle in her arms.

"My lady," the older woman murmured, looking furtively over Asrior's shoulders to where Loki was bent over the desk. "I have a few things...when the master asked me to move your things into here yesterday, he said I should clear your old chambers in the tower, you see. Only the necessities were bought here after you were injured. We did not know your stay in the family wing would be permanent."

The housekeeper was talking so quietly that Asrior had to step toward her, and confusion filled her voice as she said, "I know that things were left in the tower, but... What do you need? I do not understand."

"I found these as I was cleaning." Saldis pushed the items she held into Asrior's arms as she spoke, her words rushed. "These were in the armoire there, and a few were in such a state that I washed them. The one on top—well, I tried my best, but the stains will not come out."

Asrior looked at the bundle she now held, and her stomach plummeted when she saw what lay on top. The gown was folded neatly, but faded brown blots peeked over from a creased edge, contrasting sharply with its fine white cloth and intricate crochet trim.

Saldis had given her some of the dresses that had been made before her marriage, Asrior realized—and the nightdress she'd worn the night the union had been consummated.

"I'm afraid it sat for too long," Saldis continued, sounding embarrassed. "Perhaps the laundresses at court can be of help. They have access to better..."

"Thank you. I will see what can be done there," Asrior said, clutching the clothes to her chest. She did not want Loki to turn his attention to them, and wanting to be rid of the woman before he could do so, asked, "Are you ready for the journey? Do you need to go pack?"

"I was planning on doing so now." Saldis took a step backwards, looking relieved that her task was complete. "I will be ready when it is time to leave."

As the housekeeper slid toward the staircase, Asrior slowly closed door behind her, turning her head to look at her husband. He was pushing the desk's long drawer closed, and he glanced over at her as the door clicked shut.

"What was that about?"

"Nothing," she said, trying to keep her voice even as she moved to the massive wardrobe where her meager assortment of clothing was housed. "Just a few things from the tower."

Something in the way she spoke caught his attention, though, for he turned around and watched her. When her hand fell on the wardrobe's handle, he asked, "What from the tower that makes you sound so bothered?"

"I assure you, it is nothing," she said, throwing him a quick smile. She thought that the smile did not reach her eyes, though, for Loki's brow creased, and he pushed from the desk to walk toward her.

"You are not acting as though it is nothing," he said, focused on her with an intensity that was unnerving. "What did Saldis give you?"

"Just clothes," Asrior muttered, clutching everything to her chest with one hand as she pulled the wardrobe open. "I suppose I'm nervous about the journey..."

Her voice wobbled, and before she could move again, Loki stopped her by saying, "You are lying."

"No...I'm not. Not really," she protested, suddenly unable to move. Loki was at her side, and she could feel his eyes burning into her. The air suddenly felt thick, and it was hard to breathe much less turn to deposit the clothes onto the wardrobe's shelf. "I'm simply a bit..."

The feel of his hand on her wrist stilled Asrior's words as he gently pulling her arm lower so that he could see the cargo she guarded. Her fingers tried to wrap around the stains, but they had turned numb.

Loki's pale green gaze swept quickly over the gowns she held before settling on her face."We should not begin this marriage with deceit..." But his words jerked to a halt, and his eyes flew back down.

Asrior forced her tingling fingers to curl around the nightdress, trying to turn the edges in further, but the hand on her wrist tightened.

"What are you holding?"

The words sounded as though they came from far away, for her heart beat so loudly that it was hard to hear anything outside of its uneven cadence.

"Nothing... it is just old clothing..." she began feebly, but Loki continued talking, ignoring her.

"Why is there blood on your old clothing? Were you injured before and did not tell me? Did you think I would not believe you?"

His voice was clipped...a cold rage burgeoning in it, and Asrior shook her head wildly, trying once more to press the gowns against her chest. "No! I was not attacked. It is... it is _nothing_..."

But Loki's hands let go of her so quickly that it was almost a blur, and before she could stop him, he had pulled the soft white cloth away, the other gowns tumbling to the floor.

"What is this then, if it is nothing?" he asked harshly, holding the nightdress so that it fell open, his bewildered eyes raking across the splotches that lay midway down the gown's back. "Quite clearly, something made you bleed..."

He went very still—his words, and his hands. His eyes fixed on the stains, his face rigid as he stared at the brown that marred the pale, gauzy material.

Asrior knew the moment the puzzle pieces fit together, for his body twitched, as though he felt a blow deep inside of him.

"I hurt you."

He tore his eyes away from the stain to stare at her, his eyes resembling those of Hogun's wounded animals.

She wanted to go to him, but all Asrior could do was shake her head and whisper, "What happened then makes no difference..."

"You had not lain with anyone before. I hurt you," he said again, sounding desperate.

"No, Loki, you didn't," she began, more forcefully. "You..."

"Stop lying to me, Asrior!"

Tears stung at her eyes, and she heard him draw in a long, shaking breath.

"It hurt, didn't it?"

She blinked, trying very hard not to cry, for she feared he would not understand that her pain was for him.

"Yes," Asrior said carefully, her voice hushed. "But it was not unbearable."

His eyes closed, his mouth twisting, and she wondered if he was remembering. There was so much she herself remembered—the way he'd growled at her when she pulled at his hair, how she'd jerked against the hand holding her wrists when the pain came. How warm his seed had felt inside of her, and how he'd left so quickly afterward, barely giving her a glance as he walked from the room.

The pain of consummation had been over quickly, but the hurt afterward had been so real—yet at some point in the time that had passed, she had forgiven him.

"Loki, it would have hurt no matter what." She spoke softly, afraid that he would bolt from the room if she made the wrong move. "You could not help that."

His eyes opened then, and they were filled with a ferocious anger that burned through her. "Yes, but I made you bleed, and then I left you," he grated, almost spitting out the words. "You trusted me."

"Loki..."

"I left you alone after I did this." Loki shook the gown clutched in his fingers, sounding tortured. "Then I brought you here and abandoned you again. I knew that you would be mocked and scorned...and I didn't care. Hel, at court I _boasted _about how I tricked you, did you now that? Then I found other women to lie with, to..."

His words became garbled in his throat, and his face worked as he tried to speak.

It felt as though a hand clenched around Asrior's heart at his admission, but she _had forgiven him_, she told herself...she had to move past what he had done. "Stop, Loki. Please, I beg you not to listen to me."

When she moved toward him, he stepped back—but Asrior did not allow him to avoid her. She lunged forward, wrapping her arms tightly about his midriff, pressing her cheek to his chest. His heart was pounding, and she closed her eyes at the sound of it, saying, "I have forgiven you already."

"Asrior..." He put his hands on her shoulders, trying to push her back from him, but she tightened her grip, insisting, "What you did then is over. I forgave you, long ago."

"How?" he asked, sounding pained as he pushed against her shoulders. "How can you do so, when I cannot fathom excusing myself for what I have done?"

"Because you deserve it," she said, looking up at him, her eyes desperate. "You have made mistakes, but you did so because you care. I know you hate to admit it, but you care for Thor, and for your mother and father. And for Vedis, and for the people you rule here. I know your faults, Loki, but you are not wicked. You are not an evil..."

"But I hurt you," Loki repeated, managing to finally remove her arms from his waist. He stepped back again once he'd dislodged her, holding his hands up as though touching her wounded him. "_You_. Do you know how it feels, knowing you now... knowing that I caused you a moment of pain?"

He sounded so distressed that she was afraid to move. Asrior linked her fingers together to stop herself from touching him, her knuckles turning white as she roughly admitted, "I know how I feel. I know that I love you."

His breath caught for a moment, but then his mouth twisted. "Love."

"Yes. Love," she said, standing firm despite how she ached at the bitterness in his voice. "I do not love because people are perfect, Loki. My mother hid me, yes, but she hated being away from court. The stories she told about how wonderful it would be when we lived there—when she must have known I would never be fully accepted in Asgard—those were for her benefit, not mine. And Kagoq is surly and overbearing, and even more patronizing that you can be. But I love them. Always."

"And me? Despite my faults?" he pushed thickly, smirking at the gown he still held in one hand. "For I can assure you, they are legion. Do you know that I've killed? That I've probably inflicted even more pain on others as I caused you? It is hard to believe that you feel anything for one such as me..."

"I love you," she answered, her voice clear. "And I know that you... you care for me. No matter what my future is, I am better for these feelings... Stronger..."

"This does not make me feel stronger!" His lips pressed together and he dropped the nightdress as though burnt. And as he lowered his hand to his side, taking another step away from her, she saw that it was shaking. "You... you are so much more familiar with such sentimentality. How do you not go mad when your feelings make something unbearable?"

Tears stabbed at her eyes again. "Please... Please just sit, and we can talk..."

But he went on as though she had not spoken, his eyes burning with growing anger. "I thought your forgiveness would make my past bearable. But I want to undo everything that I have done, and I cannot. This is my reality, Asrior. I want to take everything back. I want to erase it all and start over, but I am not so powerful as that, which means I have to _remember_," he growled, fisting his hands to stop their trembling. "That makes me feel weak, and I... I am not used to this..."

"Loki," Asrior began, and though she knew his fury was directed at himself, terror filled her. "What... What are you saying?"

Breathing hard, he shook his head, muttering, "I don't know. I... I need..." He looked almost helpless. "I need time to think."

"You... You do not regret this? Being with me?" she asked, her body stiffening as though preparing for a blow.

Though his eyes still burned, the look he gave her was incredulous. "No. That is not what I meant. I simply need to learn how to... to _cope_ with this. I need time to adjust."

The thought that his feelings for her were something he needed to regulate pierced deep inside of her. But as Asrior watched him fight for control, she reminded herself that he was unused to admitting that he held tender feelings. He often resorted to games when strongly moved, but he could not do so, not about what he'd done to her.

"Do you... I mean, will we leave tonight?" she asked finally, still braced for his anger.

Loki took a deep breath, trying to exert calm as he answered, "Yes, we must still leave tonight. I will not court danger by altering our plans at the last moment."

She bit her lip and nodded, bending to pick up the gowns from the floor where they'd fallen.

"Riding helps when I am beset by moods," he muttered, his breathing evening out as he watched her move to the wardrobe to shove the garments inside. And smirking to himself, he added, "Perhaps it is a good thing the journey takes three days. Surely that will help."

Asrior gathered her bag in silence. Loki moved to the bedroom door, sounding remote as he asked, "Do you need more time to pack?"

Shaking her head, words stuck in her throat, she moved to the door and followed him into the hall.

….

They did not speak much as they readied for the journey. Hlin and Ulvgeir stowed baggage and supplies, both of them covered in plain brown cloaks with hoods. Saldis settled into the coach first, huddling under a blanket as she commented on the cold night air.

Asrior hesitated before moving inside the carriage, glancing at Loki where he waited for Hlin to bring Falhofnir from the stables.

When he saw her uncertain gaze, he moved toward her. His body was rigid, and his hands were flexing at his sides. But bent toward her and spoke, the stiffness of his voice held an undercurrent of gentleness.

"I promise, when I feel it is safe, I will uncloak myself...if it will make you feel better."

She nodded, gazing up at him, wanting to say more than her meager, "Thank you. I would like that."

Her feelings must have shown in her eyes, for Loki breathed in and slowly lifted a hand, his fingers soft and cool against her cheek. "I... I hope the journey is not too intolerable."

"I'm sure it will be fine." She wanted to reach up and curl her fingers around his wrist. But he was lowering his hand.

Loki stepped back then, glancing at Hlin, who was nearing with his ride.

"It's time to go." His voice had turned brisk.

"Yes," Asrior said, but she did not move. Instead, she gave her husband a tremulous smile, her voice soft, so that only he could hear. "I hope... I hope that your ride goes well. It is such a long one." And then, unable to help herself, she added, "And know that I love you, Loki. I _am _better because of you. I would not feel so if you were unworthy. Think on this as you ride."

He stared at her, not moving as she turned to walk toward the carriage. She heard Hlin telling him to take the horse's reins, but she did not look back when Ulvgeir closed the carriage door behind her.

In minutes, they lurched forward, the coach lumbering into the night. Asrior did as the housekeeper had done, pulling a blanket over her as she stretched out on a padded bench. It was comfortable enough, despite the swaying when the horses built up their speed.

Saldis soon fell into a deep sleep, and though Asrior closed her eyes, she was awake for hours. When she did rest, her slumber was uneasy.

The first two days were endless. They stopped twice in Hindi, briefly entering small pubs to eat, while Loki remained cloaked, but otherwise drove through the long day and night. Their drive through Skornheim was much the same.

It was only when they neared the mountains separating Skornheim from Nidvallier that Loki unveiled himself, when the party stopped for quick meal outside.

As they ate, Hlin hastily swallowed his bread and asked, "This is near your hunting lodge, is it not, Loki?"

Her husband stiffened at the question, and Asrior's stomach dropped, for she knew he was remembering.

"Yes," Loki answered, sounding detached. "It is sparsely populated here, which is why I can show myself. I can remain visible until we reach the mountains."

The party was soon away again; Loki rode on the side of the carriage at times, and at other times rode ahead. Asrior watched him, leaning her head against the coach window's glass, her heart heavy as the miles passed on and night fell.

When dawn next broke, they were well inside Nidvallier, past the villages where Asrior had waited for Kagoq. And as the carriage pushed across the country's Boiling Plain, the snow thinned until only patches lay on the ground. They would be at court by the next morning, and though her heart was not exactly light, Asrior began to breathe easier.

Everyone looked tired when they stopped as the last night fell on their journey, but moods were high. Loki uncloaked, looking more relaxed, though he chose to sit in silence at they ate. The prospect of journey's end seemed to bolster everyone. Hlin announced that they'd enter the last mountain range by nightfall, and as they set off again, Asrior finally gave in to her exhaustion. She fell into a deep sleep as the carriage began its ascent, slumbering through the night, waking briefly when the carriage slowed.

Moving to peer from behind the window shade, she saw the thin light of dawn. They were on a rocky ridge, approaching the road that sloped down to the Asgardian plain. If she were up on the driver's seat with Hlin and Ulvgeir, she would be able to see the city's golden spires glinting in the distance. Her mood brightened even more, for they would be at court in hours. And if things went well, she would have Kagoq back with her soon.

Voices could be heard outside, and Loki rode past in a blur of brown and gold and green, slowing briefly to talk to the two males driving the coach before riding ahead. Asrior wondered if he went to meet the soldiers that would escort them into the city.

But she was still tired and slipped into sleep once more. When she woke again, the sun was higher in the sky, and the carriage was slowing to stop. Saldis stirred across from her, stretching and yawning as she managed, "Good morning, my lady."

"Good morning to you, Saldis," Asrior said, feeling inordinately cheerful. "Are you ready for this journey to finally end?"

The housekeeper smiled sleepily, and both of the females turned jovial faces to the door as it opened.

Ulvgeir peered inside, muttering, "We're stopping."

"Are the soldiers here?" Asrior asked, but he simply stepped back so that the women could climb down.

Saldis left the carriage first, and as Asrior stepped down, she looked around, searching for Thor's men. Only the road was empty, save for another carriage stopped ahead. It was different than the one she rode in—ornate, with gilded trim and painted a bright crimson.

And though the road they sat on was flat, it meandered through woods rather than a plain. The royal city should have been visible, but it was nowhere to be seen.

"Is that from court," she asked, her voice wary as she looked at the other coach.

"No. It's not from court," Ulvgeir mumbled, his hand tugging at the edge of his cloak, as though it bothered him. Asrior saw that the collar of his shirt underneath was torn, and a large, black mark curved around the skin at his neck. She stepped back at the sight of it, for the hair on her arms began to rise.

Saldis noticed the look on her face, for the housekeeper stiffened as well, asking, "What is it?"

Asrior was looking around, though, her voice rising. "Where is Hlin? And Loki?"

"Not here." Ulvgeir spoke as he turned to the other coach, watching as the door opened. "We took a detour. I thought it best if Hlin didn't come."

Her stomach lurched, and just as a booted foot lowered from the other carriage, Asrior moved her hands, her wrists twisting to arm the repulsor bands that Stark had given her. The weapons began to hum as they charged, and Ulvgeir's face turned mottled as he noticed the glowing circles.

He lunged toward her just as the person fully exited the other coach. And as the coachman grabbed at her wrists, Asrior caught a quick glimpse of a corpulent figure in vivid purple robes.

She fired, the first set of beams hitting the top of the ornate coach, but when she fired again, struggling to lower her hands, the weapon caught Ulvgeir in the chest.

A woman screamed, but Asrior didn't turn to look, for she was busy shoving the coachman's weight from her. As he fell heavily to the road, she began firing again, though she could not see where she aimed—a thick, acrid smoke suddenly engulfed the spot where she stood.

Confusion reigned. Weapons were being fired at her—something that cracked loudly. Asrior fell to the ground, crawling over Ulvgeir and shouting at Saldis to get to their carriage. She heard men shouting and the housekeeper screech, and something fell nearby, hitting the road with a thump.

And then someone grabbed her from her spot on the road, someone stronger than her—they grabbed her wrists and held them still so that she could not fire the repulsor. Asrior struggled against the hands binding her, kicking backward as she did so. But the man holding her only laughed, the sound growing stronger as the rotund figure walked through the smoke, revealing himself.

"Thank you for your help, Herluf," Jerrik purred as he stopped in front of them, flourishing his purple robes and smiling as though he preened in a mirror. His eyes raked over Asrior, glittering as his face went slack with lust. "Take her to the carriage...and mind that you don't hurt her. I have waited a very long time for this. I would appreciate it if you did not damage my prize."

* * *

And now, comments!

**Guest 2**– First, thank you for reviewing ! Second, I prefer to think that the cats are cool with the sex. Like many others, they were probably thinking 'it's about friggin time' ;). Thank you for the nice words, and you did not have to wait too long for the next update ! I hope you liked it.

**Shelly**–Thank you very much! I have to admit, you might not be jealous of Asrior so much now...

**Candy flaps **–You were right to fear, lol. But thank you very much for the review and nice words. I had to give our sweet pair a few nice memories before Stuff Happened :D.

**Guest 1 **–Yes indeed, I updated! I wish I could have done so sooner!

**strangedazey **–Thank you very much for your review! Though I understand if you don't love this ending paragraph quite as much as the last one :P.

**Zippythewondersquirrel**-Thank you as always...Loki in love is indeed marvelous, though he is still having issued with the whole "omg I have feels thing". He's not quite sure how to handle it. I hope Loki...in the next two chapters is marvelous. Our God of Mischief has a bit to learn about himself. Good news, Kagoq gets a lot more face time soon!

**Kim Jerk **–thank you so very much for the nice words last update. I sincerely loved the 'whupsie daisy'! (and your avatar or whatever it is those things are called this week). I think the cats (see above) said the same thing you did ;). I hope you enjoyed this update as well, and, honestly, if there's more open weeping, it will make me happy.

**Mr-Stark-21**–Oh, how I love your so very nice reviews. You know, I thought twice about back-to-back lemons, but...they needed a bit of happiness, because their time together before the crap hit the fan was rather short. They will need those memories, that's all I'll say. This chapter was a blend of character development (a few things that needed to be done/said to set up payoff down the road) and plot. The traitor...well, there's more to come there. Their motives are complicate...and not entirely black and white (an you might be surprised at a few things). I wish I'd gotten this chapter up sooner. But I did, and it's a cliffie! But hopefully the next one will be MUCH quicker. Lastly, thank you so much for your work in photoshop...I'm adding information about your latest work in the a/n just as soon as I put these comments!

**HarryPotterFreakie**–Thank you very much for your review! And I agree with you totally...just don't tell Mr. McQueen ;).

**MutiaRAWR **and **Merri85**–Thank you both so very much! I hope you like this latest (and late!) update.

**sidlewild**–I'm very glad you liked the ending ;). Thanks for reading and reviewing...and I hope you liked this latest ending too ajdkfajsdkfasdj;.

**London calling**–Thank you so very much! I am very much cheered that I made you that happy. I hope you are equally as happy this update!

**Sweets1111**–LOL, I think it was cute too, but Loki would smite us both for saying it! Thank you very much for your review. I do not think this ending was nearly as cute, but I hope you enjoyed the cliffie!

**NoVacancyMind**-Thank you! Really, your comment meant a lot to me. Writing lemons is so difficult, and I appreciate the fact that someone thinks I did a good job navigating that sometimes tricky terrain! And I really like the term Lokior...;). I hope you enjoy this latest update...and those that follow.


	26. Chapter 25-In the end

A/N-This will be short and sweet for now. I'll update later with comments (on a new laptop finally, so no issues with malware!). Time is short, but I continue to work diligently...this chapter has been broken into two shorter ones. Just...too much length, and it's always tricky taking the outline and filling it out. In this case, there was more than enough for two chapters, so...

I hope the next one is up within a week or less.

This chapter clears up (I hope) a few questions. The next two answer a few questions and get to the emotional heart of the story.

Thanks as always for reading and following and for reviewing! I love hearing your thoughts.

Comments are up! It took me longer than I thought, because I forgot about yoga class (which I just started, and my body will not let me forget again, lol).

Here's a link to the lovely work Mr-Stark-21 sent a few weeks ago! Guess which scene ;). I hope this works. Writing the url will be a PITA, but it's worth it! I'll post on tumblr too, tigermcqueendottumblrdotcom.

the pic with a convoluted link because fanficdotnet is being a bitch:

h tee tee pee colonslashslash i1316dotphotobucketdotcom slashalbumsslasht601 slashTigerMcQueenslashchap15_zps0db2b6d5 dotpng

Thanks Jax Jesilaux for editing!

* * *

**Chapter 25-In the end**

Loki was less than fifty feet from the captain that led the contingent of Thor's men when he felt it again—magic that came from dark elves.

His first instinct was to turn Falhofnir toward the carriage, which had stayed a quarter behind him for the past hour. He'd ridden ahead of it deliberately as they came down from the mountain road, cloaking himself for a while, for he'd felt something...an ominous feeling that warned of peril ahead.

When they neared the king's soldiers, the feeling had changed to the unmistakable aura of Svartalfheim. He'd quickly backtracked to find the coachman in merry spirits, bidding his master to be quiet when he neared—the occupants of the carriage were asleep, Ulvgeir had said, and it would be unkind to wake them before they arrived at their final destination.

Frowning at his frivolity, Loki had quickly told Ulvgeir that it was not time to be so at ease. He bade him to turn onto a small path that led to an ancient, abandoned watchtower, told him to listen for danger and stay put if he heard the telltale sounds of battle. Hlin was warned that elves were ahead on the road and was told to wake the women to ensure they were on guard; and to keep an eye on the mountains they'd just left, using the magic the boy had learned to contact him if danger also approached from behind.

Now, he briefly lamented the fact that Hogun had not ridden with him. When they'd discussed the journey, the warrior had counseled the need to stay behind at Okershall to watch Doan and his sons. Loki had argued that his skill would be put to better use guarding Asrior, but in the end, he had given in to Hogun's wishes.

Almost as soon as those thoughts flew across his mind, a mass of elves appeared from a glade of trees to stand on the road before him. Loki shouted a warning to the captain, the feel of dark magic growing even stronger.

Battle erupted around him.

The king's soldiers rushed forward to meet the elves, some on horses, others on foot, weapons flashing in the sun—sword and spear, mace and crossbow. The dark elves used magic, their hand-held metal firearms shooting beams of light not unlike the weapons that Stark had designed. The light burnt what it hit, causing as much damage as an Asgardian sword, and all around Loki, the sound of the conflict grew louder. He ignored the battle cries and shouted commands, grunts and cries of pain, trying to concentrate on the task in front of him.

The elves were vastly outnumbered, but they fought fiercely. Loki rode through the melee, not bothering to project decoys as he conjured a thrice-pronged spear to cut a path to where the carriage would appear if Ulvgeir foolishly decided to drive forward.

The carriage did not come into view, though, and as Loki rode though the fight, he hoped that the coachman heard the ruckus and followed his instructions to stay put. Still, he was anxious, for as long as the coach was out of his sight, its inhabitants were vulnerable.

Even as he saw that Sif fought amongst the soldiers, urging her own mount forward to help push back a small wave of elves, the need to ride away from the clash and find Asrior distracted him. It did not make sense, this attack now, when the elves were outnumbered. Why had they not attacked in the mountains, or on the vast and empty Boiling Plain?

Just as he felt something—a push against the base of his neck, as though Hlin were trying to contact him—the dark elves retreated, running toward the woods and disappearing in a flash of blue light as they activated portals.

As the last flash of light faded, Loki rode hard toward the captain of the guard, the fear that gnawed at him growing with every heartbeat. The attack had been too brief. Nothing about it made sense.

And the carriage was alone on the road.

"I need a group of men you trust to ride with me," Loki shouted as he neared, looking at Sif as she rode into view, demanding, "You as well. We have to go back toward the mountains."

The captain, a burly man with a long beard the color of old coins, quirked a brow, his face alight with the odious Asgardian joy for battle.

"Who else are you expecting?" the captain asked loudly, grinning as he held up his bloodied sword. "My weapon has been ill used today. It longs for more thorough exercise..."

"My wife is on the road behind us," Loki snarled, tempted to use a spell to wipe the satisfied smirk from the soldier's face. He would find it difficult indeed to lift his sword if he were the size of an insect. "She is a member of the house of your king, and she is in danger. I suggest you stop making jests and have your men attend me."

He did not wait to see the expression leave the captain's face, though by the tone of the commanding shout he heard behind him, the man had grasped the gravity of the situation. As Loki rode toward the hills, Sif thundering beside him, he heard the answering gallops of other horses trailing behind.

Loki did not stop to look, only daring to slow minutes later when he approached the small road where he'd instructed Ulvgeir to wait...and even then, he reduced his speed just enough to make the turn.

Only when he rushed up the path to the old tower, the carriage was nowhere to be seen.

And he did not feel magic anymore. The air was eerily still.

He turned Falhofnir so quickly that the horse protested, rushing back to the main road, his heart pounding. The soldiers that the captain had sent after him were there with Sif. One of the men was removed from his mount, bending over a lone blue-tinged figure lying half in the brush that lined the road.

Loki had rushed by so quickly that he'd missed him, but now he flew from Falhornir, gasping as his boots hit the road. "Hlin!"

They boy did not stir, and the soldier with him said, "He's injured, my lord."

Hlin's head was bleeding, the side of his forehead singed, as though he'd been hit with one of the dark elf weapons.

"Can you wake him?" Loki asked, looking around frantically, as though the carriage would appear at any moment. His heart, which had not ceased pounding since he'd first felt the dark magic, beat with such quickness that it was hard to speak.

"He needs a healing room," Sif said, sounding grave as she dismounted as well. "We're not trained for..."

"Not yet," Loki injected, turning to look the other soldiers, using all his strength to concentrate on what needed to be done. He pointed as he spoke, saying, "I need riders to look for others that were in my party. You four, go up toward the mountain—my coach carried a woman with red hair, and an older woman. My coachman as well. Send someone back quickly with word if you find anyone...or anything that looks of dark elf origin."

As the soldiers spurred their horses forward, the one holding Hlin prodded, "And him, my lord?"

"Wait," Loki rasped, trying to keep the desperation from his voice as he knelt by his ward. He glanced up at the female beside him, saying, "You as well, Sif. Wait while I do this."

Sif opened her mouth, as though to ask a question, but Loki did not listen. He was readying to project, and his eyes closed as he allowed his mind to slip away, concentrating on Asrior. Wherever she was, he would find her. His power was such that he could find anyone, no matter where—across realms even.

He felt the familiar tug as his mind began to move, as though something hooked around the base of his skull to drag it across...

Only the feeling stopped, a force pushing hard against his entire body. Loki's eyes shot open, meeting the Sif's wary gaze as he swayed on his knees.

"What..." she began, but Loki shook his head, closing his eyes and trying again. He had to force himself not to panic, telling himself that his attempt had failed because he'd been too distracted.

It happened again, though. As soon as his mind began to move, something pushed back on it, hard.

"My lord," the soldier holding Hlin began when he saw the god's eyes open, his body jerking again. "He is stirring."

Hlin's eyes were fluttering open, and as he came into consciousness, he looked around and tried to sit up, his voice frantic.

"No!" he shouted, pushing against the soldier that held him. "The carriage! It...there was light..."

His eyes came to rest upon Loki, who placed a hand on the boy's arm and tried to keep his voice calm as he explained, "You are with me and with Thor's soldiers. Can you tell me what happened?"

Sif moved to kneel as well, her gaze moving between the god next to her and the boy that lay against the soldier.

"I... I tried to stop him," Hlin sounded close to tears. "I tried, when he attacked. I... I failed. I'm sorry..."

"Who?" Loki asked, though he knew before he completed the question. "Who did this?"

"Ulvgeir. He had a strange weapon," Hlin panted, trying to sit up, but he fell back after a moment with a grunt of pain. "When I moved to wake Asrior and Saldis...he stopped me. I turned...Jotun, but he... I grabbed him, but..."

It was difficult not to shout at him, to demand that he tell where Asrior was. Loki forced himself to take a deep breath, his reassuring as he said, "I'm sure you did everything you could. We trusted him...we all did."

"I managed to burn him. Only a little. His first shot...grazed. But he stunned me after..."

"And Asrior? Where did he drive off to?" Loki asked, stopping to press his lips together, for fear laced his voice.

"A portal. Giant one." Hlin was crying, speaking with great difficulty. "It swallowed everything. I don't... I don't remember after... I think I tried... I tried to contact you... He took Asrior..."

Terror such as Loki had never felt before lanced him. It took everything in him to maintain control as he moved his hand, placing it on top of Hlin's head. "You did good, lad," he assured him, only the smallest quaver in his voice betraying his emotions. "I should have stayed with you. If there is anyone to blame, it is me."

"No..." Hlin was shaking his head. "The portal...never seen the like before. You... you would not have stopped..."

And then his eyes began to flutter again, closing once more.

Pushing to stand, Loki looked at the soldier cradling Hlin and said, "You can take him to heal now...take four men as guards and ride as swiftly as you can."

"And what of us?" Sif asked, her voice low.

"I must inform Thor that Asrior has been taken," Loki snapped, turning to Falhofnir. "We must go to Alflyse immediately."

"Do you think it wise to leave? She may still be on the road..." Sif was saying, but he was already on his horse.

"The soldiers will not find her," he countered grimly, holding an impatient Falhofnir back momentarily. "You heard what Hlin said about the portal. Come with me, for your help will be needed when we attack Valtur. We will need Fandral and Volstagg as well."

He pushed the horse hard then, racing toward the city as though he could outrun the panic that threatened to overtake him. The fact that he'd been pushed away when he tried to project to her location confirmed his worst fears.

Asrior was gone, taken by someone Loki had trusted with her care. She was hidden from his view by her father's magic, so removed that it was as though she did not exist. And she would likely be in Valtur's hands very soon, once again subject to his torture.

During this many years, despite all that he had done and all that had been done to him, Loki rarely felt helpless. To feel so powerless now when it was so important to be strong was almost beyond enduring.

All he could do was urge Falhofnir faster, bitterly wishing that he had the same childish faith in prayer that Asrior had once held. He needed something to cling to in the coming days, some desperate form of hope or faith. Something that would allow him to believe that, in the end, he would find her. Otherwise his tormented thoughts would drive him to madness. Otherwise, he would be doomed to fail.

And the consequences of that were too horrifying to consider.

….

Asrior fought the entire way to Jerrik's coach, kicking backward at Herluf as the man dragged her along the road. He held her arms behind her back, twisting them so that they hurt, and she could feel a cut on one wrist where he'd torn off Stark's weapons.

Her foot made contact with Herluf's shin, and the man grumbled with annoyance, yanking her arms tighter behind her.

"Elf bitch..." he snarled, causing Jerrik to throw him a look over his shoulder.

"I have warned you not to harm her," Jerrik scolded, sounding as though he dealt with an ill-trained child. "We made promises to Valtur. I advise you not to break them."

Herluf answered the other man by mumbling darkly, and as they approached the carriage, he pushed Asrior into the interior so hard that she fell upon the floorboards.

"You should check on my men she hit...and try to rouse Ulvgeir as well," Jerrik was saying, waving a hand regally as he climbed into the coach. As he settled against a cushioned bench, he looked at where Asrior had scrambled, huddling on the seat opposite him. "I hope you did not harm my courtiers, my dear. Though I have promised your father that you will remain untouched until he returns to Asgard, I will be bound by no such oath after he gives you to me."

"What if they're dead?" the younger man asked, pushing away from the open, his voice surly.

"It is unlikely, but put them in the other coach and drive it to my palace. Leave no one behind, not even the other woman." Jerrik sounded impatient. "And do it quickly. I know we have Valtur's sorcery to protect us, but being in the open such as this is worrisome. Tell the coachman to drive on, and follow as quickly as you can."

Asrior watched in silence, her mind racing as the two men spoke, her body back against the bench cushions. She shrank from the man who sat across from her, as though to hide, despite the fact that such an act was futile.

Indeed, as soon as the door slammed shut, Jerrik fixed his gaze on her, a revolting mixture of covetousness and triumph crossing his face.

"Do not look so frightened my dear," he oozed, relaxing against the seat as the carriage began to move. "I'm not going to hurt you, so long as you stay put... my coachman and the one guard you did not manage to injure are well armed."

Asrior longed to lunge at him, to claw at his face despite his warning. She wanted to cry with despair. She wanted to shout for help, to seek escape...

She wanted Loki.

But she could not give in to her emotions. Talking to Jerrik would be necessary if she were to cull information necessary to survive the coming ordeal.

"The journey will not be a long one, but still, you should try to relax, Asrior."

Calling upon the bitter experience she gained as Valtur's daughter, she pulled her face into impassive lines and calmly looked at Jerrik, asking, "Where are we going?"

"My palace," he said, patting his robes into place with an air of smugness. "Where you should have been long ago, if you weren't so... disobedient."

"But you live in Nornheim." She was unable to keep the surprise from her voice.

"Yes...a bit of your father's doing, our being able to travel across Asgard so quickly. Though I must admit, it was a close thing, both getting the portal to Ulvgeir in time and the whole damn escapade working so well. I was worried that Laufeyson would remain attached to your carriage the entire time, but apparently, he was foolish enough to take the bait we offered."

"Bait?" Asrior asked, hoping that Jerrik did not hear the pounding of her heart, for she desperately wanted him to keep talking.

He made a face as though the details annoyed him. "Oh, elves projected to where the soldiers were waiting for you. The plan was to draw Loki away from your carriage long enough to allow Ulvgeir to activate the portal to Nornheim. Apparently, it worked. " Jerrik shuddered slightly, adding, "Thank the gods. I have no wish to do that again. Valtur admitted that inner-realm portals can be tricky as Hel."

"Your plan will not work for long." Asrior sounded braver than she felt, for she knew that with every movement of the carriage, she was getting further and further away from safety. "In the end, my husband will find you. He will kill you for taking me."

Jerrik actually laughed, his portly frame shaking with the force of it.

"No, I do not think so. My palace is too well protected by Valtur's magic...even this coach is cloaked to Laufeyson's view." His thick lips turned up, and he sounded almost apologetic as he explained, "You see, your husband has been trying for a very long time to access my home, with no success. This spell is very powerful."

Desolation beyond any she'd ever felt filled her, for it was only then that the full extent of what was to happen to her sank in.

Loki had been working on breaking Valtur's spells for months and had barely breached the palace gate before getting pushed back, and he had no idea how he'd done even that much. He had thought he was close to unlocking Valtur's secret at one point, and then his work had stalled. Despite her husband's power, Asrior was under no illusions that his task would be easy or quick. If fortune smiled on them, it would be only days before help came, but it would most likely take months or even years.

And until Loki could break the spell, Asrior would be veiled from him. She would be alone again, left with only her wits to protect her—and she did not know if she would remain so little scarred this time.

"Your arrogance will be your downfall," she said, keeping her voice firm despite the terror pulsing through her body.

"No, my dear." Jerrik shook his head, a slight smile on his face, as though he held a secret. "I am afraid that it is Loki Laufeyson's arrogance that will be his undoing."

She did not answer, instead concentrating as hard as possible on keeping her breathing even. The thought of being under Valtur's whip—or worse—was agonizing, and the coming pain was as inevitable as the cycles of the seasons.

_Be brave._

Asrior closed her eyes briefly, slipping back into her mind to find the strength she would need for the hardship ahead.

This time, though, it was not Birgitta that she visited or Kagoq. Instead, Asrior remembered her time at the boulders with Loki...when he had offered to help her with horses. She remembered how he'd sneered at her fear when she'd refused, calling her a coward.

Loki had been willing to provoke her anger in order to remind her what she was capable of doing. He had _believed_ in her. And he had been so kind afterward, offering her comfort when she realized that he was right, that she was giving in to her fears instead of confronting them. The memory of his arms around her after their argument was so strong that it was as though he sat next to her now.

_Courage._

"We're approaching the palace now."

Asrior looked over at Jerrik, who was peering through the carriage window.

"Does Valtur wait inside?" she asked, feeling calmer, for knew that whatever happened, she would find the strength to endure. Loki would not give up his efforts to break the magic, and he would work even harder now that she had been taken from him. He would not forsake her...Asrior knew that with every fiber of her being. She refused to betray him by allowing her fright to control her.

"No, I'm afraid your father remains on Svartalfheim," Jerrik said, sighing. "It has been imperative that he remain near his queen. She is much too shrewd, you see, and Valtur must remain beyond suspicion of any attacks on Asgard for now."

Asrior did her best to look bland. "And what shall I do while he is on another realm?"

He cast a longing look at her. "You will be my guest. I have promised Valtur that nothing will be done to you until he is here."

So he would not touch her, not yet. Asrior wanted to weep with thanks for the small favor. Perhaps she had time to work out a means of escape.

The carriage slowed as they neared his palace, and a quick look through the windows showed that heavy wooden gates adorned with gilt were slowly opening to receive them. Within minutes, they were stopped inside a courtyard, a servant pulling the door open and helping his master down.

"Come now, my dear," Jerrik demanded as slid from the coach in a flourish of purple robe. "You must get acquainted with your new home."

He was holding a hand out to assist her, but Asrior ignored it, climbing from the coach on her own.

Jerrik shrugged at the rebellious act, smirking as he muttered, "Your defiance only whets my appetite, child."

Nausea rose in her, but Asrior's face remained calm as she gazed at her surroundings. Armored men milled about, as well as a few who dressed similarly to the lord of the palace.

"This way," Jerrik was saying, his hand on her back as he pressed her forward. "My oldest sons are visiting. I shall introduce you."

Leading her forward as though his hosting kidnapped females were an everyday occurrence, Jerrik smiled at the two younger men in flowing, colorful robes, men who looked very much like their father.

"Osl, Tyrvi, may I present to you Asrior of Svartalfheim..." he began, simpering.

"I am Asrior of Asgard," she injected, standing as tall as she could, looking in them the eyes as she tried to impress on them the extent of their father's foolishness. "I am wife to Loki Laufeyson, who rules the lower countries, and I am a member of the house of Thor, your king. You will pay a great price by keeping me here against my will."

One of the men curled up a lip, while the other threw his father a nervous glance.

But Jerrik was making a tsking sound. "I can only presume that you are provoking me on purpose. You must _want _my attentions, my dear."

"I speak only the truth." Asrior remained unruffled, though she looked around the courtyard, wondering where his youngest son was. Pauulus was young and uncertain...perhaps she could persuade him to help...

"Ah...the other coach has arrived." Jerrik eyed the great gates as they opened, watching as the other carriage was slowly led inside. Asrior turned as well, looked beyond the gate to the green field that lay beyond the drive, wondering if Loki were out there watching...trying to enter.

Jerrik took her arm, leading her to the great marble steps that led to a palatial gold portico. "I have work to do, so you will retire to your new chambers. If you are good, I will allow you down later for supper."

She kept her face serene as she allowed him to take her up the steps, asking, "Will someone inform me of my servant's health once she has been attended to? Her name is Saldis, and her family has long served the royal house."

"Mmmm..." Jerrik made a noncommittal noise, and when two servants dressed in ornate livery opened the grand palace doors, he entered with a sweep of his robes.

Instead of following him, Asrior paused briefly, turning to look at the gate. It was closing slowly, the hint of green still visible, and she wondered how much time would pass before she set foot outside again.

Jerrik was urging her forward, though, his voice growing impatient. Asrior took a deep, fortifying breath as the gate slid closed, then turned and stepped inside her new prison.

….

If Asrior hoped to find help with Pauulus, she understood almost immediately that it would not be forthcoming.

He was waiting in the palace's grand dining room when a maid took her downstairs to supper. As soon as she walked in, the boy sent her a scathing look from his spot near his father, his eyes sullen. Asrior kept her head high despite his stare, looking regally over the sumptuous spread that graced the room's elongated dining table.

Jewel encrusted dishes and shimmering golden goblets lay on an embroidered cloth the same scarlet color as the coach that had born her to the palace. The dishware was piled high with fruit and roasted meats, bread and cakes dripping with candied flowers. It was beyond elaborate—beyond anything ever served at Okershall, the home of a prince of Asgard. The table rivaled those at court when feasts were held, and as Asrior took in the scene before her, she realized that Jerrik already considered himself a king.

"Ah...you have arrived," he was saying, turning from the sideboard that held a selection of wine bottles. Jerrik poured pale gold liquid into a goblet as he spoke. "I trust you found your chambers comfortable?"

Asrior had barely noticed her surroundings when she'd been shown to her new rooms. She'd spent the afternoon pacing and plotting instead, until the maid came to tell her it was time for supper.

"My chambers are comfortable indeed, my lord," she murmured, moving toward the table, almost thankful that years living with Valtur had trained her to act so composed. "I hope that the woman attending me has been given similar quarters. I have yet to hear of her condition."

"Your servant is well, I'm sure, for I would have been informed if she were dead," he simpered, moving forward and motioning to a chair. "You may sit here, my dear, beside me."

Her skin crawled at the look he sent her, but Asrior simply nodded, sliding into the seat as Jerrik's sons moved to sit as well. The two older men looked almost bored, one of them motioning to a servant to begin serving with an impatient wave. Pauulus, on the other hand, gave her another foul look as he settled into his seat on the other side of his father.

"She will be sent to me when she is healed?"

"Of course not. Though I promise you that she will remain unharmed." Jerrik sat at the head of the table, smiling. And as he leaned back in his chair, sipping from his goblet, he eyed Asrior's dress. "You look lovely. I am pleased that you changed into something so proper. I thought you might seek to provoke me by showing up in your stained travel gear."

"I choose my battles wisely, my lord," Asrior said, lifting a shoulder. "And the clothes I wore earlier were in need of washing."

It was a lie, for the only reason she'd changed was because the maid sent to bring her to dinner had almost burst into tears when she saw Asrior's attire, blubbering that Jerrik would blame her if their guest went to supper wearing clothing covered in filth. Asrior had changed immediately, apologizing to the girl for losing track of time, hoping that she might cultivate an ally in the servant.

"If I am not mistaken, you're wearing a garment from Midgard." Jerrik paused as he looked at her, his goblet half raised to his lips. "The design looks of that realm."

Asrior was startled, but did not let it show as she answered, "Yes, this is Midgardian. I did not know that you were familiar with it."

"Mmmmm..." Jerrik nodded when a servant offered up a dish of vegetables, answering with a vague air, "I have traveled there, but not often. Just...a visit here and there. You have been, I take it?"

She lifted a goblet that another servant filled and set in front of her. "Only once."

"And what did you do when you were there?" one of his sons injected, his voice pointed. "The weapon Herluf took from you was not of Asgard."

Asrior did not think it wise to tell the men of Tony's work. So she smiled slightly. "Thor gave me the weapons, and I am not sure of their origin. I visited friends on Midgard...friends of Thor who befriended me after my marriage. I went shopping...visited a menagerie. They held a feast. It was purely social."

Jerrik's eyes narrowed. "Social? Laufeyson was with you?"

"Of course," she said, her brow rising. "Where else would my husband be? He was with me at all times."

"He was accepted there?" The son was speaking again, and Asrior thought it was the one called Osl. "After what he did on that realm?"

"With certain conditions," she admitted, trying to make their visit sound innocuous. "We were not there for long...Loki did not go out much to appease the Midgardians. He spent most of his time studying while we were there. Our host had a most interesting library."

"What did he study?" Jerrik's gaze turned even sharper.

"Midgardian constellations," Asrior said without missing a beat, and though she wondered at Jerrik's interest in Loki's actions, she could not help the soft smile that lit her face at the memory. "He showed them to me our last night there, after the feast in our honor."

To her surprise, Jerrik slumped in his seat, suddenly looking as though he were a child denied a treat. "Laufeyson rutted with you. You are not untouched."

Asrior blinked, her fork frozen halfway to her mouth. "Our marriage was consummated, yes," she choked, unwilling to tell the man before her more than that simple fact. One of his older sons sent Jerrik a knowing smirk, and her stomach began to churn.

"Damn." A look of such disappointment filled his face that Asrior would have laughed if she had not felt so ill at the thought of having to lie with him. "I had hoped that I... But never mind. I am sure I can find delights of the flesh that you are yet uninitiated in."

The fork in her hand clattered to her plate, for Asrior's appetite, little as it was, deserted her.

Jerrik did not notice the look on her face, for there was movement by the door, and a surly voice barked, "What is _she_ doing here?"

Asrior turned startled eyes to the sound even as Jerrik groused, "Mind your tongue, Ulvgeir, lest I send you to eat with the servants instead."

The coachman walked slowly into the room, his body stiff, as though he was in great discomfort. "Maybe I'd rather eat with them."

"I doubt it," one of the sons grunted, shoveling food in his mouth as he taunted, "Some of Valtur's men eat with them as well. Move elves."

Her brow almost shot up at that news, but Asrior looked down at her plate in an effort to control her features, tucking the information away for later use.

"I didn't bring her here so you could start a damn elf colony," the coachman was muttering as he yanked a chair back.

"No, you bought Asrior here to my keeping until Valtur is free to take her back to Svartalfheim," Jerrik said, his voice icy. "And the only reason you attend my table is because of that fact. Your views on her race are well known. Content yourself with the knowledge that when you return to Okershall, it shall be completely free of her presence."

Asrior's back stiffened. "He will not be welcomed back at Okershall, not after what he has done. Loki will never..."

"Your precious husband won't be there when Ulvgeir returns," Pauulus said, speaking up from the other side of his father. His eyes glittered maliciously as he leaned on the table and sneered at Asrior. "Do you think we mean to overthrow Thor only..."

"Enough!" The word burst from Jerrik as he threw a cautious look at his son. "Do not get ahead of yourself, Pauulus." Then he glanced at Ulvgeir, his face shuttering. "And some plans are best kept close to your chest. Remember that lesson."

Ulvgeir grunted as a servant began filling his plate with food, the gaze he turned to Jerrik filled with speculation. Asrior watched him from the corner of her eyes, wondering if she could glean any more information from him. He would not willingly speak to her, that much was clear, but...

"How are my other men," Jerrik asked, his mouth thick with food as he jutted his chin in Ulvgeir's direction. "You were more injured than them, were you not?" He looked pointedly at the coachman's neck, which was covered with a flesh-colored bandage. "You still heal? The wounds were that damaging?"

"The others healed faster, but she was inches from me when she fired," Ulvgeir mumbled defensively, his eyes moving to his plate, staring at it as he answered. Asrior saw that the crest of his cheek had turned red. "My neck will be back to normal by tomorrow."

Asrior blinked, for he had deliberately skirted over the fact that she had not injured his neck. The black mark had been there when she'd stepped from the coach. The injury had most likely been given by Hlin, she realized—Loki had said that a Jotun's touch burnt Asgardian skin, and the boy had probably turned into his true form when he sensed danger. And for whatever reason, Ulvgeir did not want it known that Hlin had so hurt him.

They would not know that Hlin had even ridden with them...and Ulvgeir had said that no one was to be left behind...

Pushing the food around on her plate, Asrior absorbed the knowledge in silence, trying to piece together the little she had learned to help her form a plan.

The rest of the meal passed slowly, with no conversation outside of Jerrik's self-satisfied comments. When they were finally finished, he called a servant to bring Asrior back to her chambers, pressing a wet kiss on her hand before she left.

She managed not to wipe her hand on her skirt until she was safely in the confines of her room; and as the familiar sound of a lock clicking echoed behind her, she began to pace again, her mind racing.

Sleep would be almost impossible, but eventually, Asrior put on a nightdress and crawled into the room's bed. She tried to keep focused on the situation at hand as she lay still, but her mind kept freezing with worry over Hlin and Saldis. And it was impossible not to think of Loki.

They had spent only four nights together as husband and wife, but he had stayed with her much longer—she was accustomed to his presence in her chambers, and the silence now was odd. She missed the sound of his breathing, of the paper rustling when he turned the pages of his books...his half-hearted grunting at the cats.

It was like the time she had returned to Svartalfheim without Kagoq, only a thousand times worse. Asrior had been filled with loneliness at the loss of her friend, but had not felt such despair. She had not ached then as she did now.

And now...she wondered what Loki did at that very moment, imagining that he was bent over his books, desperate to find a solution to Valtur's magic. Or maybe he was with Thor and his warriors, trying to find a way to explain everything that had happened to her. She wondered if he was raging with fury, or sitting in silent condemnation, blaming himself for her being taken.

Longing pierced her at the thought of him. She wanted to hear Loki's voice. She wanted to put her arms around him, to sooth the anger he must feel and assure him that she was safe. She wanted to feel him stretched out beside her on the bed. She wanted to feel his chest move at her back, his breath stir the hair at her neck. It was comforting having him next to her.

Asrior had felt secure for those four nights that she had slept beside him—safe—and he had been content as well. It might be an eternity before they felt such again, and she did not dare allow herself to even consider that Loki would fail in his quest to protect her.

He would come for her, she told herself, clinging to the thought as a prayer. Loki would come for her, and she would not allow herself to fall into doubt or self-pity while she waited.

….

"You are not sleeping, brother?'

Loki did not turn to look at Thor, keeping his eyes on the city below as he answered, "Of course I'm not sleeping. Would you be so inclined if you were in my position?"

He could feel Thor's eyes probing him, but still, he did not turn.

"What is your position?"

"My wife has been kidnapped," Loki snarled, scowling at the lights below him. "And those I seek to help me dare to wonder if she went willingly."

Thor's voice was gentle. "Sif did not mean..."

"Her meaning was clear. I saw the doubt on your face as well, Thor." Loki's head swirled to better glare at his brother, an accusation in his glittering eyes. "Think of everything you know of Asrior, and think of what you know of her father. You must realize by now that she would never go to him of her own..."

"But would she stay with you, Loki?" Thor asked quietly. "I think of what I know of Asrior and you, and...I wonder if she did not run from you."

Loki remembered the look in Asrior's eyes the morning she'd sat on the edge of the bed and held his hand over her heart.

"Yes she would stay with me," he said, his voice rumbling with emotion. "We came to an accord on that matter not long before we left to visit here."

"You...you are certain?" Thor's voice was hesitant. "She was not in accord with you when I visited, nor were you inclined to trust her. Far from it."

Loki found that he did not have the heart to grow more offended at his brother's doubt. It did not matter what Thor believed or any of the others. The curse bound his lips from telling them the full truth—and in the end, the only thing that really mattered was getting Asrior back, and he was the only one who could break the damn magic that held her.

"Things changed after she was attacked," Loki said simply, turning his gaze back to the lights. "For both of us."

Thor's eyes were still trained on him. Something in the tone of his voice or the weary slump of his shoulders must have convinced him, for his brother said, "I believe you, Loki. It is just...difficult to understand given what I saw of your relationship when I last saw you both." He paused for a moment, adding staunchly, "Hlin is certainly devoted to her. The boy has been in a constant state of tears since he woke, though he tries hard to hide it."

"He saw her for what she is before any of us," Loki muttered, pushing away his guilt ruthlessly. Such emotion would not help get her back. Indeed, it had weakened him, caused him to take actions that left Asrior vulnerable.

"What is she like to you?"

Loki had to swallow hard before answering. "She is uncommonly brave. She finds such...joy in things. Nothing is too unimportant for her attention." His voice was filled with bitter amusement, for he was everything that she was not, and he craved the brightness of her being as a man going blind craved the light of the sun. "She is very _kind_. She is foolish enough to think the same of me."

"And you are certain that she is with Jerrik?" Thor probed.

Loki snorted, stepping away from the balcony railing he'd leaned upon, turning to walk back to the sitting room that connected the royal apartments. "I get pushed away every time I try to project to her location. It is the same magic that binds me from Jerrik's palace. She has to be there." He paused, for a lump of fear filled his throat, making talk difficult again. "She _must_ be there if what you say about Valtur being with Alflyse is correct."

Thor followed him, saying, "I have already assured you, Valtur has been in constant attendance at his queen's court. He has left her side little since we visited."

Sitting on one of the room's benches, Loki bent elbows to knees, clasping his hands together so tightly that it hurt. "You're sure?"

"Yes." Thor sat as well, his face full of conviction. "We have our spies there, you know. Asrior is not with him...though I cannot promise that she is not on Svartalfheim."

"She's not." Loki cast his brother a look, admitting, "I projected to Valtur's fortress. It was near empty, with only a small contingent of men guarding it. And no magic protected it, for I was able to roam without hindrance."

Indeed, he'd spent hours scouring the place for Asrior, moving from room to room in fruitless effort, wondering which of the cold and dark chambers had been her prison as a child. The thought of her being locked in such a forbidding place angered him, but he had ignored the emotion, for it did no good to dwell on such when he had to find her...

"And if she is kept elsewhere in that realm?" Thor was asking.

"I will find her no matter where she is held," Loki promised, his voice quavering only a little as he began to censure himself, "I should be looking now instead of brooding...looking for a solution to this magic that hides her. I have overlooked something. I am _missing_ something that is...it is right before my eyes, I can feel it..."

His voice grew wilder as he spoke, and it was with great difficulty that he stopped, taking a deep breath in an effort to rein in his unsteady emotions. Loki wanted to rage as he had earlier when he'd arrived at the palace—wanted to shout as he'd done when Sif had dared ask if his wife did had run away on her own. He wanted to strike out, to find Ulvgeir and make him _hurt _as he feared Asrior was now hurting. Wanted to kill Valtur...slowly, brutally...

A burning filled him at the thought of Asrior being placed back to Valtur's mercy, for the elf lord would be vicious when he finally had his daughter in his hands. And time—_that _property was in horrifically short supply.

Loki had felt despair before—when he'd learned of Odin's lies, when he'd fallen into the abyss, when his mother had died. But nothing compared to the sting of desperation that he now seemed to be drowning in.

Thor's voice broke through his tortured thoughts. "What do you need from us, Loki? Tell me what you need, and it shall be yours."

He looked at his brother, his eyes despairing. "I need time. I fear you cannot give me what I need." He took a shaking breath, shaking his head. "Outside of that, I will need you and the others to be ready when it is time for battle. I need to know Valtur's every step while he is with Alflyse. I need spies outside of Jerrik's gate, for I cannot be there as often as I would like."

"It will be done," Thor said, nodding. "You have spoken with Hogun?"

Nodding, Loki muttered, "He is on his way here as we speak. He... he said the men we were watching in Ringsfjord scattered to the winds a day after we left. He has been searching for them; he sent word, but it has not arrived. The courtier was likely captured."

Thor nodded, a thoughtful look on his face before he said, "You should try to rest, Loki. We shall visit Alflyse tomorrow. Valtur will be there, and you will not want to look weakened when we arrive at her court."

Loki's head jerked up, his eyes sharpening as he asked, "Your men have returned from Svartalfheim?"

"Yes. With an entirely inadequate message from their queen asking for time to speak to Valtur," Thor grunted, a mulish look in his eyes. "I am not inclined to wait for her summons."

A reluctant smile touched Loki's mouth at his brother's boldness. He rather enjoyed how Thor was growing into his role as king, though he would never admit it to him.

Thor had pushed to stand, though, saying "We leave tomorrow at daybreak. Alflyse might play games, but in the end, she will learn that we are not to be trifled with."

"In the end?" Loki asked, his voice growing rough at the thought of what lay ahead. And as he looked at his brother's determined face, he found consolation in the brashness there. The arrogance was as familiar as his own heartbeat, and Loki knew that whatever Thor set his mind upon—hunting Perytons or battling fire demons or even saving the wretched mortal realm from invasion—he always managed to succeed.

And now, he looked every inch a king as he spoke—though for once, he did not remind Loki of Odin. This was Thor, King of Asgard, not a shadow or imitation of their father.

"Yes." There was no doubt in Thor's voice as he assured him, "In the end, we will bring Asrior back, Loki. You have my promise."

* * *

And now...comments!

**Guest #3**–You did not have to wait very long! Although you are still hanging a bit, aren't you? And you'll be kept hanging, at least for a bit more, for I'll warn you—Loki will not find it easy breaking Valtur's magic. Asrior, sadly, is accustomed to surviving bleak situations, and she has the tools to deal with whatever is next (though it won't be a walk in the park). The question is, how will Loki cope? He still has a thing or two to learn, I'll say that much. Thanks for your very nice words about the fic, and, as always, here's hoping the next part is done soon.

**Ilaaris**-Thanks very much for your nice words! I am writing as quickly as I can. I have to warn you, these next three/four chapters are *very important*, to me as a writer and to the resolution of the fic. The writing goes well when I have time, but the thing is *time* (like Loki laments). I think this next update will be finished soon, but I cannot make promises for those that come after. Even if the writing goes fast, sometimes I need to step back for a few days before reviewing to make sure I'm getting the emotional nuances just right. But despite my sometimes slowness, thank you for hanging in and reading!

**Mr-Stark-21**-I dearly love your comments ;). I loved Loki brushing the hair, because he is so very fascinated with Asrior's hair. And as far as Loki's reaction to that first night...You're right, he doesn't quite realize (yet) the full extent of his emotional investment in his wife. He really hasn't had time for deep thoughts, though he'll have more of it now. But...his reaction wasn't just about that night, not totally. Thinking about what Asrior's life was like before just pierces him. He _hates _that she was surrounded by people and yet so alone when she was being hurt by her father. And he _really hates _that he hurt her on their wedding night and then took her to a place where she was hated and vulnerable. He absolutely cannot get over that she was just as alone when she was first with him as when she was with Valtur. I hope this chapter answered a few questions as to why Loki left and what happened with Hlin. And their time at court will come. Eventually hehehehehe.

**Guest #2**-Yes, the gods will come to the rescue with a vengeance! And a few other friends too ;). Thanks for your comment...I hope you liked this update!

**Strangedazey**-Yes, the dreaded cliffhanger! HAH, I love them. Thank you for the review...and more Loki feels and Asrior being a badass to come!

**Guest #1**-Thanks for your review! Yes, things will get worse, despite the relative calm before the storm in this update. The cameras...don't work with the spell. The scars would not show to anyone who did not know. Although I will say this much...Midgard might still hold a solution ;).

**BlooAngels**-Hlin will be fine! Loki, sadly, cannot help soon...though he will persevere with help ;). Asses will eventually get kicked. The black mark was a burn from Hlin in his Jotun form trying to attack Ulvgeir...who is not dead and still has a rather important part to play in this. Thank you for the review and the cookies, and here's hoping that time finds me rather than runs away laughing manically (as it has done recently).

**SissyPerigrin**-Thank you! HEHHHHEHEHHEHEH.

**Shelly**-YES! Poor Loki is right. And that Hulk smash? Jdfaklsdjfa;ldskj; I hope you enjoy the monster when he is let loose ;). Thanks very much for the review!

**HarryPotterFreakie**-Thank you! I love reading all comments but yours especially made my day!

**sidlewild**-Loki fell for a trick, Hlin will be ok, and Asrior? Well... she's ok for now. I hope this update didn't take too long, though. And I really hope the next one goes very quickly! Thanks for reviewing!

**MightBeValerie**-I think I was posting last time just as you left your last review, lol. Thanks for the nice review about chap 25, and I am actually pleased that you are torn between violence and hugs! I totally understand that feeling ;). And I hope you enjoyed this latest update.

**Candy flaps **–Ah, I almost feel sorry for Ulvgeir, because I know what's next for him. And I'm not just talking about retribution, but...he's going to be very unhappy with the choices he made, unhappy with everyone. And Loki is actually learning to step away from the guilt (though it is very much something he will feel for a while), because it clouded his judgment during the journey to court...if he had not been so tormented and wanting to think, he'd probably have made different choices (like riding in the coach). But as Hlin said, it might not have made a difference. Loki will not find things easy, though he gets help, I'll say that much ;). Thanks for your review, and hopefully this latest update answered a few questions for you and others.

**London calling**–Thanks for your comments on the last update...and I think you will enjoy what's in store for Ulvgeir. It actually makes me giggle a bit, and I think it will be very satisfying for a number of reasons ;). I think this update may have answered some of your questions, especially about Hlin, who will be fine. And he will eventually get a chance to...hah, you'll see.

**Zippythewondersquirrel**-Ah, poor Loki and the bloody nightgown. And poor everyone for what happened on the way from the mountains. It was a close thing, and perhaps Loki's judgment was a bit clouded from his wanting to just ride out his emotions. But he made a rather rational choice in his mind. He trusted Ulvgeir. They all did. Thanks for your comments, I love reading reactions!

**amakitkat **–First, thanks for your review! Second, I would apologize for the cliffie, but I love them too much to do so ;). Loki...with help...will indeed fuck up a number of bastards...in time. Jerrik...well, you shall see.

**Fat Old Sun**–I say this with all my heart...LOL! Thank you!

**Sweets1111**–Thank you very much for leaving your comment...and yes, they were *so close*.

**NoVacancyMind**-YES...YESYESYES, lol. I *love* that the cliffie left you in misery, and thank you very much for still adoring the chapter. Poor Loki. Poor Asrior. The feels, they will continue ;). And I really really really will try to update a lot quicker this time.

**MutiaRAWR**–Thank you very much for your kind words about the last update. As you can see now, no one kept an eye on the coach because it was gone in the blink of an eye. And you are right, Loki (and I'm Not Taking Any Shit Thor!) are going to court! And Hogun will reunite with the warriors. And eventually, many of our avenger friends will help. And, OH, Loki will have a hard time not becoming consumed by frustration and desperation and will discover a few things about himself. And Asrior is ok. For now...


	27. Chapter 26-You will always belong to me

A/N-I'm so sorry this took three weeks! I tried really really hard to keep it under two, but you know...stuff. Like a computer effing meltdown that had me not writing for a week.

I'll be brief. No promises on when the next chapter will be out (I learned the hard way last time)...however, I will say that the next one has been written in my head since the beginning. It's one of my favorite chapters and hopefully will flow as easily as similar ones in this fic flowed when it was time to write them. When I have time to write, it comes easily. But this summer has been short on time.

Thanks for the reviews, and for following, and please let me know what you think!

Thanks very much to Jax Jesilaux for editing (and who is still working on the last part...I've edited carefully myself, but will fix anything she catches. I just wanted to get this up now before my wireless goes out...thunderstorm, so it's very likely...)

OCs are mine, all else Marvel's.

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**Chapter 26-You will always belong to me**

The first thing that Loki noticed when he met his brother for the journey to Svartalfheim was that, this time, Thor wore his crown.

He didn't say anything, choosing instead to raise his brow at the sight of the royal symbol.

Thor tweaked the plate of armor at his wrist as he murmured, "Alflyse needs to be reminded that she holds her throne only with Asgard's leave. Today I visit her as king."

Loki's mouth twisted into a bitter smile. "You are not worried that you will provoke her?"

"No," Thor said as one of the courtiers brought forth the portal. "She is no fool, despite the missive she sent yesterday."

Snorting, Loki agreed, "No, Alflyse is no fool...and she likely plays as many games with her own court as with us. She is more threatened by a revolt among her lords than you are."

He was silent then, for his mind raced with too many thoughts to articulate.

Thor placed his hand on the portal, and when he looked over his shoulder, his eyes were thoughtful. "You appear to have rested."

"Actually, I didn't...though I was able to produce an elixir that has helped maintain my strength, for now." Loki smirked, his mockery turned on himself. "At least my sorcery is good for something."

"We will find her," Thor said gruffly, a hint of something sentimental flashing in his eyes as he regarded the god that stood beside him. "_You _will find her. None of us can do anything without your magic leading the way, not this time."

Loki grunted, reaching out for the portal. He'd come to the same conclusion during the long night before, when he'd paced endlessly, his mind torn between worry for Asrior and angry self-recrimination—buy he had to somehow let go of such emotions, for they did nothing to help. If he were to rescue his wife, his energy had to be focused on something other than his fear and guilt and rage, however difficult that might be.

So now, his eyes glinted with determination. He was Loki, prince of Asgard, who had faced the depths that lay beyond the nine realms and all of the tortures therein, and he had survived. He _would_ do this.

"I am ready," he said then, his voice steady. "Let us depart."

With that, Thor activated the portal, and in close to an instant, they were in Svartalfheim. A courtier was waiting when they arrived at the antechamber outside of Queen Alflyse's throne room, as though they were expected.

Thor gave Loki the briefest of looks before advancing toward the man draped in a black and silver asking, "Your queen is ready to meet me?"

The courtier nodded, murmuring a meaningless platitude as he held open the great onyx door that led into the heart of Svartalfheim's court.

Once again, the throne room was littered with a small crowd of elves, the group flanking the stairs that led to where Alflyse sat; and as the time before, Loki followed a step behind Thor as they entered. He scanned the crowd for Valtur, a knot of fear twisting in his stomach as he gazed around, for Asrior's father was nowhere to be seen. He was so occupied on his task that he barely heard the courtier's hasty announcement of their arrival.

"Thor, King of Asgard," Alflyse intoned when the pair stopped at the foot of her throne. Her eyes glittered in the torchlight as she looked down upon them. "This is an unprecedented breach of convention. I asked to speak with Valtur the Unmerciful before our audience, who, despite your accusations, remains yet _my _subject. Protocol decrees that you wait..."

"It is our practice that the royal house of Asgard protects its own." Thor's eyes were locked on the queen, his stance commanding. "The female that I seek is not simply my subject, but a member of my house—and wife to my brother, Loki. I thought perhaps you did not fully understand Asrior's importance to us, given your wish to delay our meeting."

Murmurs could be heard around them, low and persistent. The queen ignored the rumblings, choosing instead to exchange glances with a heavily-armored elf that stood a few steps below her throne.

"You seem to have misunderstood my missive. I did not seek to delay. It is my duty to speak with those to whom I am responsible before meeting you." She raised a hand, and behind her, a courtier moved to a small black door. "As it is, I have recently concluded an audience with my subject. Valtur the Unmerciful has assured me that he played no part in his daughter's most recent disappearance."

The door opened as Alflyse spoke, and Valtur walked from her antechamber to stand beside her.

"This _is _the second time she has run away, is it not?" Alflyse's brow arched delicately as she looked from Thor to Loki. "She disappeared from your court when Valtur acted as my emissary there."

Valtur stared down at the pair as well, his eyes mocking. It took all of Loki's restraint not to lunge at him, and his body quivered as he forced himself to remain still.

"You are mistaken," Thor said, his voice grim. "Asrior did not run away yesterday. She was taken against her will."

Alflyse stiffened. "According to your message, Asrior's husband was away from her carriage and lost track of it. Why do you presume the girl was taken?"

_Because she is my wife, and she chose to stay with me...because she said that she loves me..._

The thoughts that ripped savagely through Loki's mind were interrupted by Thor's calm assurance.

"Because a band of marauding elves attacked my soldiers and brother at the foot of the mountain road, and as that happened, a trusted aide who rode with Asrior's coach was attacked as well...and was left behind, injured."

Loki's eyes were riveted on Valtur, whose own gaze remained hooded—but the hand at his waist twitched at Thor's words, betraying unease.

"Who attacked your aide?" Alflyse asked.

"An agent working with Asgardian lords, men who are suspected of plotting against my rule," Thor admitted.

"Asgardian lords?" The queen's lips curled. "Perhaps you should confront them instead of bringing old quarrels to my court. I fail to see—"

"These Asgardian lords have also colluded with elves of Svartalfheim. And Loki's aide, the one left behind, was injured by weapon that originated in this realm."

The queen stared hard at Thor. "Still, this witness knows which direction the coach rode in. I do not understand why you are here as—"

"The coach went through a portal, a large unlike any seen on Asgard before."

Thor's voice was quiet, but the words stopped Alflyse, a momentary flash of surprise crossing her face.

"This still does not explain why these events are connected with Valtur," she insisted, her eyes narrowing as they shifted between the two brothers. "You have been very quiet, Loki Laufeyson. Perhaps you can shed light on your king's thoughts."

Loki took a deep breath as he regarded the woman that sat so high above him. Like Thor, she wore her realm's royal crown and also cradled a silver scepter in her hands. Her back was stiff, her body held rigid, and the black eyes that returned his gaze gave away little.

"My king speaks for me," he said after a moment, an edge to his voice despite the velvet tones. "There is nothing that I can add as to what happened yesterday. I _can _tell you that Asrior was injured...before yesterday. With an object cursed by dark magic distinct to Svartalfheim."

Valtur's head jerked and his body stiffened, as though preparing to spring in sudden movement.

Alflyse's eyes slid to the elf lord, but her words were directed at Loki. "What kind of object?"

"An arrow," he explained, watching as Valtur's fisted hand slowly unfurled. "It struck her in the chest, placing the curse into her body. She is only recently recovered. Of course, she had expe... She had..."

Loki tried to explain that it was not her first encounter with such wounds, but the words stuck in his throat.

The queen's brow slid up in expectation as the words trailed off, while Valtur's expression changed to one of amusement. Loki tried not to show his frustration, saying instead, "Asrior expected her father to come for her, you see. When she left court, she ran from him. It is her wish to live on Asgard, which she views as her home."

When he finished, Valtur turned his gaze to his queen, his look beseeching. Alflyse nodded at him, murmuring "You may speak to these charges if you wish."

"My queen, Laufeyson's reasoning is flawed. I was uniting my daughter with an Asgardian lord, not one from our realm." The elf lord remained facing Alflyse, his bearing respectful as he spoke. "Perhaps the prospect of marriage frightened her, but my daughter had no reason to think she would return to Svartalfheim."

Loki's lips thinned. "She thought differently."

Alflyse put a finger on her bottom lip as she looked at Valtur, tapping it as though in thought. "Were you...upset, Valtur, to learn that your daughter was wed to Loki Laufeyson?"

"How could such a union upset me?" Valtur's voice was filled with affront. "My house is now tied to that of Thor, King of Asgard. I would be a simpleton to look askance on such a union." He turned to the gods before him and lowered his head as though in deference, but his eyes were filled with mockery. "It is true that I was concerned for the safety of my daughter, for I feared the God of Mischief was up to his old tricks. But if his allegiance to the marriage is sincere...well, as husband to my daughter, I would be honored to welcome Loki into my house as my son."

White hot rage scorched Loki at the words, and a curse was on the tip of his tongue—but Thor scowled and threw him a warning look, gritting, "Very touching. Yet this does not answer why someone using a weapon of Svartalfheim attacked my brother's aide and took his wife."

"It tells you that I have no reason to think that Valtur is responsible," Alflyse snapped. "He has been at my side these months since returning from your realm. And by his own mouth, you heard him declare approval of his daughter's marriage to your brother. Are you saying that he lies?"

"Of course he lies," Loki snarled, his eyes blazing as he stepped forward, only to be pushed back by the force of his brother's hand on his arm.

"And we are to trust you?" The queen lip curled with derision. "Loki Laufeyson, the God of Lies himself?"

"You do not have to take my word only. There are ot..." Loki began, but Alflyse talked over him, her voice rising as she raised a hand. "Be silent! I understand what must be done."

Valtur set his face into a solemn expression, but his eyes gleamed with triumph.

"I think it wise to send emissaries from Svartalfheim to assist in the search for Valtur's daughter. Perhaps I will visit myself..."

Alflyse's voice trailed off, and as it did so, Thor slowly lowered the hand that held Loki's arm, saying, "I insist upon approval of any envoy from Svartalfheim this time. I am sure you will understand, given the circumstances."

The queen dipped her head toward the heavily-armored elf near her throne. "I thought to send Ortu the Quick. You know of him, I presume? His family has long served the royal house of Svartalfheim."

"Yes, I know of Ortu," Thor said, giving the elf in question a quick nod. "I am in agreement with your choice."

"And what of me?" Valtur began, his voice imploring, though his eyes hardened as he stared at Alflyse. "My daughter is missing. Why can I not attend..."

"I have made my decision," she said imperiously, cutting of his words. "Given the accusations against you, I would think that you would wish remain above suspicion. Staying as part of my..."

"But Laufeyson!" Valtur's voice rose with his rage as he turned to the god, jabbing a hand toward him. "He will be in Asgard...how can we trust his motives? Who is to say that this is not another of his tricks...that he will not try to conjure false evidence against me..."

Alflyse raised a hand again, stopping his words before she turned back to Thor. "Valtur brings up an interesting point. Given Loki Laufeyson's history of accusations against my subject, I am loathed to trust his part in this search."

"She is his wife!" Thor argued. "Do you think-"

"And Valtur is her father!" Alflyse cut over him. "Given the circumstances and history of _both_ parties, perhaps it is best if both step to the side while your men search for her...with Ortu, of course."

The elves around them began murmuring again, but Loki paid little attention, his hands fisting as he glared at the queen. Surely Thor would not agree to such preposterousness. Surely...

But his brother was saying, "Very well. You have my word that Loki will not take part in the search."

Loki opened his mouth to argue, but a warning glance from Thor had it snapping shut. Valtur, he saw, was staring at Thor, though his face was free of expression.

"Then it is settled. Ortu the Quick will arrive with a contingent of his men tomorrow. You have my word that Valtur will remain at my court under my supervision. If I wish to visit Asgard once the search is underway, I will send a courtier to inform you of my plans." Alflyse flicked her hand once more. "Now...I have other matters to attend to, Thor, King of Asgard. As I'm sure you can understand."

"Then we will take our leave."

A buzzing sound filled the room, for the elves' murmuring grew loud as Thor turned to exit the hall. Loki, followed him, glaring at his back as they marched back into the antechamber.

"Hold your tongue until we are home," Thor muttered, taking in Loki's glower when they reached the portal and took hold of it.

As soon as they were back in Asgard, their boots barely touched the marble floor before Loki's rage broke over his brother.

"You deny me the right to search for Asrior?" He turned viciously toward Thor, his voice ringing through the room. "How _dare_..."

"Keep quiet and think, Loki! For once in your life, would you think?" Thor thundered back. "Do you honestly think I would forbid you to take part in this? Everything with Ortu is for show. _Think_, brother..."

"For show?" Loki's breath was coming in spurts, and he tried to calm himself, stepping back. "Explain."

"Ortu the Quick risked his life to send word to Odin of Malekith's plans to attack Asgard. No one knows of these actions outside of a handful—Alflyse being one of them. He was also instrumental in securing her path to the throne when Malekith fell. Both of us, Alflyse and I, can trust him."

"And what does this have to do with your agreement to tie my hands..."

"They are not tied, Loki!" Thor took a deep breath, trying to control his own temper. "By choosing Ortu, Alflyse sends a message to me that there are those in her court that are not loyal to her reign. She sends an emissary that sought to stop war before. She likely knows that Valtur is involved, but has to tread carefully among her own court..."

"What of me?" Loki asked, turning to pace. "What am I to do when Ortu the Quick approaches Jerrik?"

"Approaching Jerrik will take...finesse," Thor said, moving to sit on a bench. He leaned back, pushing a hand through his hair so that his crown tipped, suddenly looking much older than his years. "I can send a courtier in regards to Asrior's disappearance, given his ties to Valtur, but I must bide my time. I do not want to risk revolt either, Loki. I cannot push him too much without more evidence. I need you to break the magic, you see, so that we are assured that Asrior is there before we attack."

Loki simply grunted, barely looking at his brother as he continued to pace.

"Ortu likely will bring more messages from Alflyse, things she cannot say in public," Thor continued, sounding weary. "We will conduct a very visible search for Asrior...and allow you to work here. You will have to look as though you are...well, you will attend court functions at times. It is vital that you remain visible here while the soldiers roam the countries."

"Do...do you think it will work? Any of this?" Loki asked, suddenly unsure, the fear he had held back looming over him again. His body stilled, and he looked over at Thor, trying not to show how helpless he felt. "Asrior is... she is alone, and..."

"It will work." Thor stood and moved to stand by his brother, his voice firm as he put a hand on Loki's shoulder. "Valtur will be kept under Alflyse's watchful eyes...for now. But we must not delay in getting started. The game has started, brother. Do what needs to be done to get your mind in order, for we are depending on you. All of us."

….

"My lord requests your company." The maid's voice was timid, echoing softly through the bedchamber. "He asked that you not delay."

Asrior looked up from her book, her voice dry as she eyed the Asgardian girl. "Hello, Gyla. I take it the visitors have left?

The girl's face flushed. "You know I can't say anything to you about who visits the palace."

Feeling guilty at the look that crossed the young maid's face, Asrior sighed. "I'm sorry, I do know that. I'm just...it's been five days since I was last let out. I've read this book twice already. Even the prospect of an audience with Jerrik is temping."

A ghost of a smile lifted Gyla's mouth as she offered, "I can bring another book if you'd like...the next time you have to stay in your chamber for so long."

Standing as she tossed the book onto the bed, Asrior frowned, saying, "Alleviating my boredom is not worth the risk to you. And we should go before Jerrik grows impatient."

The girl gave a quick nod before she turned to walk down the hall, and as Asrior followed her, her frown deepened. Gyla was considerate, brining extra food and messages from Saldis, who was being kept on the other side of the palace. But it was clear that the servant was very afraid of Jerrik's wrath—and more than once, bruises had been visible on her jaw or wrists, though she refused to admit that she was beaten.

It was because of this that Asrior refrained from stealing a key from her, instead waiting until a servant names Elsebe—a spiteful woman with a loathing for elves and who liked to pinch very much—grew a little too careless with the items in her keeping. Asrior had taken her chamber's key from her the day before, and it now lay hidden near her bed, in a small crevice between a chair's cushion and frame.

Its theft appeared to be useless, though, for the few times Asrior had used it to unlock her door, she had done no more than peer through the crack—armed men were stationed at the end of her chambers' corridor, making escape impossible. She half thought to sneak it back into Elsebe's pocket that same morning, but had decided to keep it out of a dogged sense of defiance.

Asrior was not let out of her chamber often, but she tried to memorize the manor's layout the few times she was taken to the library or to supper; and Gyla was leading her along a familiar route, past the men who guarded her room and down a larger hall, where they took a small staircase to the ground floor. She could tell by and sound when they passed a doorway that led to the kitchens, and she caught glimpses of other rooms...servants' quarters and storerooms, formal parlors and weapons vaults.

Today, she was taken to the grand hall where Jerrik spent most of his time plotting with his men, and as always, he lounged on an elaborately carved and gilded chair that sat at one end of the massive room, as though he were a king on his throne.

"Ah... Asrior," he hummed when he noticed her enter, leaning further back into his chair. The look he gave her when she stood still before him was much like the one Odd and Orr gave when presented with a treat. "I hope the wait in your chamber was not unbearable."

As she had since her first days at the palace, Asrior looked the rotund man in the eye and greeted him with familiar words. "I suggest you release me before it is too late, my lord. My husband will be none too pleased that you are holding me against my will."

Jerrik smirked. "You persist with the foolish notion that Laufeyson will rescue you. How long have you been here now, silly girl?"

"Close to three weeks," she admitted, her chin high. "I am under no illusions that it will be easy for Loki to break Valtur's magic. But he _will_ break it, and he will come for me...and then for you."

"Yes. Indeed, he toils at this very moment," Jerrik chirped, his lips quirking up even higher. "That is, he toils his hours away at court, dancing attendance to the king's sycophantic friends...and a willing goddess or two, if the gossip is halfway accurate."

Asrior could not help the brief stab of uncertainty that pierced her chest at his words, though she quickly suppressed it. The look on Loki's face when he'd held her hand over his heart was burnt into her memory. He would not abandon her.

Jerrik noticed the glimpse of misgiving, though, for he laughed, looking gleefully around at the men who sat attendance to him. Pauulus, leaning against a wall to the right, joined in his father's amusement, a malicious gleam in his eyes—he had been punished harshly for letting slip his true age, according to Gyla, and he seemed to blame Asrior for the result.

"Your eyes give your thoughts away, my lady," Jerrik said, a hand idly flicking his purple robe into place. "You doubt your husband's intent in regards to you."

"You are wrong," Asrior insisted, pressing her palms against her skirt so that they didn't ball into fists. "Whatever tales you try to spin, I know that Loki will not rest until he finds me. And he will kill you for taking me."

The humor in Jerrik's eyes vanished. "Your defiance grows boring and begins to annoy me. Hold your tongue before I forget my promises to your father." He shifted in his chair, a new kind of gleam entering his eyes. "And be glad that I yet hold my temper, for there is the matter of a missing key that I need to discuss with you."

As he spoke two men walked forward, each of them taking an arm and pulling her forward.

Asrior gasped as they began to tug at her, and she pulled against their hands futilely, glaring at Jerrik. "There is no need for this! I stole the key, I admit it."

Jerrik stood as the men brought her forward, amusement touching the steel in his voice as he said, "I know you stole it. I would like it back though, and I intend to find it."

"It's in my room!" Asrior's voice rose, alarm filling her at the licentious look on Jerrik's face. "It's in a chair, between the seat cushion and..."

But Jerriks' hands were on her shoulders, and his breathing grew heavier.

"You are not to be trusted, my dear," he murmured, his hands sliding along the neckline of her dress. "Why should I take your word?"

The men were still holding her arms, their hands tightening as she struggled to break free. She tried to kick out, but her foot hit a metal-studded boot, and Jerrik smiled, as though her frantic movements entertained him.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Ulvgeir standing nearby, smirking as well. The coachman was kept close to Jerrik at all times—and though he had grown tired of the restraints placed upon him, sometimes complaining loudly, today he looked more than pleased to see one of the dark elves he so hated in torment.

"Is it here?" Jerrik asked, a hand sliding over her hips and waist. He pressed his body closer to her, the other hand pushing under the neckline of her dress, groping at a breast "Or perhaps the key is tucked away in here."

Bile rose in her throat at the feel of Jerrik's hands against her skin; and when she was yanked around roughly, her skirt lifted from behind, she kicked backwards, harder.

Jerrik grunted when she made contact with his boot again, but his hand was at her hair, pulling, forcing her head back in a grip so harsh that tears pooled in her eyes.

"Do not do that again, bitch," he growled, his breath hot on her neck, "else I decide that to strip you naked in order to complete my search."

Asrior's teeth were clenched with her fury, but she managed to grit out, "Loki will come for me, and if he does not manage to kill you, I will."

"Such certainty in your husband's abilities _and _in his fidelity to you." She felt Jerrik's hand grasp her bottom, and he sounded amused. "You know, I might agree with you that, with time, Laufeyson might find a way to invade my palace and even defeat Valtur —but if his actions since your...well, visit here are anything to go by, he is hardly worried as to your whereabouts. Those men who just left my palace bought word of his doings at court. He idles his time there, and they say that the goddess Lorelei is seen often in his company." He laughed at that, mocking her as he said, "Perhaps she is helping him search for you in her chambers."

His hand had moved around her waist to slide along the bare skin of her stomach, and as he moved lower, Asrior kicked back, struggling to get away from his reach. "You are...vile... and... and I will..."

Somewhere behind her, there were noises...a door banging open and boots on the floor, the sound of a muffled warning. Jerrik stepped back from her as though burnt, and the two men holding her arms let her go so quickly that she almost toppled to the floor.

For the briefest of moments, Asrior thought that Loki had appeared, that he was there to save her—but Jerrik was bowing his head with respect, murmuring, "My lord. I had no idea we were to expect you today, given the demands your queen has made on you."

Fear trickled down Asrior's spine, leaving a feeling so cold it was as though she had turned to ice.

"Alflyse has decided to visit Asgard," Valtur said from behind her, his boots still clicking on the floor. "She allowed me to journey to my fortress in her absence, and it will be noticed if I am not there before long. My Queen has vast resources, you see...confederates with great powers of their own. My visit here must be swift, by necessity."

Asrior forced herself to turn, watching as her father moved through the hall to stand beside her. He was dressed in his familiar armor, the whip at his side, and his eyes shone with a familiar fervor. It took everything in her not to faint in a fearful tumble. Her breath was coming in small spurts, and the weak leg that he had cut with the cursed knife began to shake.

"You look surprised, daughter. Did you think I would not find time to see you, now that you are in the keeping of an ally?" he asked, looking down at her. His lips pulled into a sneer as he regarded her, taking in her disheveled dress and hair. "Why are your ears hidden?"

Her face automatically fell into the blank expression she wore around him, but Asrior could not keep the insolence from her voice as she answered, "Because I like to wear my hair lose."

"It must be put up immediately," Valtur ordered, moving past the spot where Jerrik stood to sit upon the gilded chair that looked like a throne. "Do not defy me over such a trifling matter, not when you have caused so much more trouble, Asrior."

The very air around them seemed to shift, for a tense stillness took over the hall. The men, who had laughed and talked as Jerrik groped her, were silent; and the haughty amusement had faded from Pauulus' face as he instead looked from Asrior to Valtur.

Jerrik's face grew red as he watched the elf lord sit in his chair, but his voice was laced with deference as he said, "She did as you said she might, my lord...a maid discovered that a key to Asrior's chambers was missing. She sto..."

Valtur waved a hand, dismissing the Asgardian's words. "She will not steal again, I will make sure of that. Have someone bring her to her chambers to wait for me while I discuss matters with you."

"My lord..." Jerrik began again, but Valtur interrupted him.

"Send her away now. As I said, my time is limited, and I have much to tell you before discussing Asrior's offences with her."

One of the men that had held her arms before moved back to her side, his hand moving to her shoulder. Asrior glared at her father, abandoning any pretense of obedience. "Loki will come for me," she promised, her voice strong and her leg shaking harder. "It does not matter what you do, for in the end, he will come for me."

Valtur leaned back in the chair, his eyes glittering as he stared down at her. "Then I will kill him if he tries to take you away."

The man's other hand moved to grasp her arm as though it were a vise. Asrior did not bother fighting him...not then, for the coming pain was inevitable. She needed to save her strength and muster her resolve, prepare for the coming punishment.

But her words would make no difference in what followed, so she continued, recklessly, "You misjudge my husband's power."

Her father's mouth opened wider, his teeth bared into a vicious smile. "You misjudge your place in these realms, you foolish girl. I have told you, Asrior. In the end, you will always belong to me."

….

The furniture exploded around them—shards of wood from the tables and chairs, fibers from the cushion covers, bits of teacup turned into pebble...all of them rained onto the floor like a quick, midwinter shower.

And as the remnants clattered onto the marble, the sound of Fandral's sigh echoed with them.

"Must you do that?" the golden-haired warrior muttered, scowling at the god that paced nearby. "This is the third time..."

"Fourth," Loki corrected, still pacing, his face drawn into a tight mask. "This is the fourth time I've vented my dissatisfaction with one of you on our surroundings."

Sif looked up from the book she'd just opened. "It does you no good to distract us as we try to help."

Loki sighed heavily, waving a hand so that the rubble on the floor flew back into order. "I simply took offense at Fandral's suggestion that I'd somehow overlooked Vanaheim as a source of the magic Valtur is using. I can assure you, I've looked everywhere."

"Even Midgard?" Fandral asked, giving him a belligerent look. "I read here that they..."

Loki scoffed and turned on his heel. "Midgard has little magic. Stop trying to provoke me."

"Perhaps he cannot help it," Sif inserted, sounding rebellious. "You are being as obstinate as..."

"My brother is being as obstinate as what?"

Thor's voice echoed through Loki's chambers, its timbre a mix of amusement and weariness.

"As a bilge snipe," Sif grunted.

"As a dwarf," Volstagg added, his voice thick with bread, and he shoved another piece into his mouth. "A very drunken one."

"I rather think that his mood is much like that Amazon's was that time he turned..." A porcelain vase near Fandral's table exploded, and as the pieces of rubble fell onto the book he was studying, he glared at Loki, snapping, "Stop doing that."

"I'll stop when you stop gaming." Loki returned acidly before glancing at his brother. "What? You look as though you want to say something."

Thor nodded, but didn't speak, instead moving to pull a chair from near Fandral. Loki watched as he brushed pieces of the vase from the chair's seat, and as he settled on to it, the expression on his face turned unsettled.

The cold pit that had sat in his stomach since Alflyse visited court intensified, and Loki's voice was sharp as he asked, "What do want to tell me?"

"Alflyse has sent word through Ortu—Valtur left Svartalfheim briefly when she was here, as predicted. Her spy said he used a portal, but is not in a position to know where..."

"He went to Jerrik's, obviously," Loki bit out, the cold growing to take over his chest. "I told you he would leave, that he would use the opportunity to go to Asrior, to v... to pu..."

The words stuck in his throat, so that all he could do was cry out in rage, venting his anger on a golden statue of the ancient philosopher Euclid. It flew through the air, hitting Sif's shoulder before clattering to the floor.

"_This _is how he has been all night." Sif gave Thor an imploring look. "Please do something."

Hogun, who had been quiet though most of the evening, looked up from the corner where he sat, his voice quiet as he said, "Leave him, Sif. Loki has good reason to be fearful."

"Fearful?" Sif huffed, giving Loki a scathing look. "Petulant, more like."

But he was terrified, Loki thought, turning again, this time to look out the one of the room's windows with unseeing eyes. Terrified of what had happened to Asrior when Alflyse allowed Valtur from her sight. Terrified of what could be happening even now...

"We had to give Valtur the opportunity, Loki," Thor was saying. "There are those on Svaralfheim still uncertain as to his loyalties, elf lords that Alflyse has to convince to move against him. She has solidified her position with a majority now, thanks to his secrecy in using the portal."

Loki's head whipped around. "So she can move against him?"

"Not yet," Thor said, lifting a hand when his brother's mouth opened again. "But _you _can... move, I mean. You are not required to be in court so often now."

"What do you mean?" Loki eyed his brother warily.

"Simply that your time here has helped—Alflyse feels in a stronger position now. I cannot allow you to confront Jerrik or Valtur at this time, but you are allowed to go back to your lands, if you wish. You must act as though you are conducting your normal duties, though. As though your days were as before."

_As though my days were as before?_

Loki made a scoffing sound under his breath, his hands flexing as tried to master his emotions.

"What good will it do?" he asked, more of himself than Thor, but his brother answered.

"You will have more...space, elsewhere. Perhaps a bit more time to work, without the eyes of court keeping constant track of your movements."

Turning back to the window, Loki shrugged, and he could not help the bleakness that entered his voice. "Time? Sometimes I think it will take an eternity."

He burned at feeling such weakness, at _showing _it, but he could not help the volatility of his moods. His grasp on his self-control had weakened, and his growing frustration at the futility of his research made it worse.

"You have not been able to breach the palace since moving through the gate?"

"No," Loki answered his brother, staring at the city's lights stretching below him. They burned too brightly for him to adequately see the stars. "The Jotun spell that allows me to enter the gate is...well it is more of a work around the magic that kept me out rather than a breaking of it. There seem to be more enchantments that bind the palace to my entry—the spell does not work on those. I thought the answer to everything might lay in Jotunheim, but I fear I was wrong."

"You try often?" Thor asked, the sound of his chair scrapping across the marble floor mixing with his words.

"Everyday," Loki muttered, turning to watch as his brother walked toward him.

"It has been helpful, knowing who of Asgard plots with Jerrik," Thor said, stopping to stand beside him. "I know...I know you do not like to waste time projecting there when you need to work here. Thank you for that."

Loki did not bother telling his brother that he did not linger in Nornheim to help. Pure selfishness motivated him when he projected to Jerrik's palace—even if he could not break the magic to go inside of it, somehow it comforted him to know that Asrior lay within the palace walls. If he shouted, perhaps she could hear him. If she was within sight of a window, and if he showed himself, however briefly...

He was not surprised that his voice sounded unlike itself when he managed, "And Heimdall? Is he able to see her yet?"

"No. She remains blocked from his view." The compassion in Thor's voice nearly undid him. "Valtur's fortress is not blocked, however, and he assures me that she is not there. And Valtur is back with his queen, so it is likely that Asrior yet remains with Jerrik."

Loki's hands were flexing again, and desperate beyond bearing, he begged, "If I had the Tesseract, I could break into there, Thor. I could save her."

Thor was looking at the others. Sif and Fandral were reading again, while Volstagg had wandered to a shelf to look at other books. Only Hogun watched them from his corner.

"You know I cannot allow you to do that," his brother said, his voice just as low as Loki's had been. "It is entirely too dangerous, not just to your ability to remain free here in Asgard, but to our realm itself. The last time Odin used it... You know what damage it caused when he tried to repair the Bifrost."

Loki could taste the bitterness that filled him. "Then I do not know what to do. I have been through every book... every piece of magic the realms have spit out. Your friends try, but they know little about sorcery. Not to mention, they are about to kill me..."

"Yes." Thor gave the others a quick look. "Is there someone else who can help? Someone versed in your kind of powers? They could attend you at Okershall..."

Pushing his hands through his hair, Loki grunted, "I have consulted everyone I know—even some I should not trust, and..."

He paused, his heart beating a little faster.

"What?" Thor asked, knitting his brow. "You remembered someone?"

The image of a face, dented and scared, flitted though his mind.

"Yes..." he breathed, turning to look at where Sif sat, and he raised his voice as he called out, "Where is Kagoq kept now?"

Sif raised her head from the book. "What?"

"The dwarf?" Loki asked, impatient. "Where is he?"

"He is in Nidvallier again...in Sollstrand, in the fortress you had me move him from before."

Kagoq was at the lake where Asrior had so patiently waited for him.

He did not know if it would even work...the dwarf could not speak, and Loki knew little of his sign language. But he had to try something, _anything_ to break the magic that kept Asrior from him, no matter how desperate.

Still...Loki's heart was racing with something close to excitement, as he said, "I'm going there."

The voices of the others rose, Sif's in question, Fandral and Volstagg's in jubilation as they slammed their books shut.

Hogun sat up though, moving to join the two gods who stood by the window. "You think he can help?" he asked, staring at Loki intently.

"And what reason have you to go there?" Thor asked, his expression growing concerned. "Remember that you have to remain visible to outsiders. You must not appear to be working against Valtur."

"You will send me there," Loki said, almost breathless as he plotted. "The search that Ortu leads for Asrior...where do they look now?"

"The search is in Nastrond, so that they will be close enough to Nornheim when we need use of more soldiers," Thor said, looking confused. "What..."

Loki almost smiled as he explained, "There has unrest in Nidvallier's lower villages. The people there are not attacked by elves, but they grow tired of what they feel is neglect by the royal city...you made me attend a meeting on the very subject not three days ago. Tomorrow morning, you will decree that a small continent will visit the area to access the situation, a contingent led by me. Hogun will come too. The warriors, if you'd like."

Fandral heard him, for he pushed up from the table, while Thor nodded with an understanding glint in his eye. "Do you think this will work? Did the dwarf help last time?"

"Very little," Loki admitted, moving with deliberation to a great cabinet, for there was much he needed to pack before he left. "But I had little time with him. With more, we might find something to end all of this."

As he jerked the cabinet's door open, Hogun's voice came from behind him, asking, "When will we leave?"

"You will follow with the others, later," Loki said, turning to meet the warrior's eyes. "I must leave first. I...I need to speak to Kagoq alone before we all bear down on him."

"Why?" Hogun asked, and Fandral appeared at his side, a smile on his face as he recalled, "Nidvallier? You know, we once battled a Kronan there, when the marauders came. It was the most..."

Loki ignored him, looking at the other warrior as he explained, "I must inform Kagoq what has happened to Asrior. I must...apologize to him, for not keeping her safe. I should have told him before now."

Hogun looked grimmer than ever. "As you wish. But we will follow."

"We will?" Volstagg asked from across the room, looking unsure.

"Yes. We must be on hand, ready to ride to Nornheim when the time comes," Hogun intoned, his back growing rigid as he turned to look at his friend. "When Loki learns to break the sorcery that hides his wife, we must act without hesitation."

"Then we will go," Sif said, taking a deep breath, as though bolstering herself. She moved as well, closer to where Loki stood with the others. "I do not know your reasons for any of this, Loki...or why you think the dwarf will help you. But if Thor thinks this important...and Hogun...we will follow you. Let us know what help is needed."

An unfamiliar feeling filled him at her words, and Loki blinked when he realized that it was gratitude.

"Thank you," he muttered, turning to his cabinet, loathed to allow them to see such emotions on his face. "But I need time to gather things, if you please. There is much I need to take with me. I doubt the fortress at Sollstrand has an adequate library, for one..."

And he needed time to visit Jerrik's once more. For as the others left, Loki found himself projecting to Nornheim, as though pulled by a force he could not control.

The stars were brighter here, for the palace lay outside of the village, surrounded by green fields; and as entered the gates, cloaked to the guards who prowled the grounds, he paced outside of the palace walls and searched its windows for a hint of blood red hair.

He hoped that Asrior was not hurt. He hoped she was faring better than he at this violent separation, and he wondered what her thoughts were at that moment. Did she think of him? Did she have faith in him?

She was so strong, and he felt so damned _weak_.

He wondered if she looked at the stars and prayed for help again, and if she realized that he would come for her this time. That he would save her...or he would die in the trying of it.


End file.
